Arsenal put Champions League anguish to one side with open-top bus parade
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Hundreds of thousands of fans line streets in London
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Gabriel pays tribute to supporters after final agony
Gabriel Magalhães admitted Arsenal’s Champions League penalty shootout defeat was “painful”, but the Gunners quickly put the disappointment to one side as fans descended on north London to attend an open-top bus parade.
Gabriel missed the crucial spot-kick against Paris Saint-Germain as the French champions retained their crown following a 1-1 draw in Budapest. Yet Arsenal still had plenty to celebrate as they embarked on a parade through their local streets to celebrate the Premier League title success they secured earlier this month.
“It’s painful, but I’m proud of this team and everything we achieved together this season,” Gabriel wrote on Instagram. “Thank you to our incredible fans for your support every step of the way. You deserve to celebrate this journey with us and enjoy the parade today! See you next season!”
Mikel Arteta’s squad left the Emirates Stadium at 2.15pm to begin their 5.6-mile journey around the parade route. Martin Ødegaard, the captain, was the first player to board the bus, adorned with “Champions 25 26”, holding the Premier League trophy.
Gabriel and Eberechi Eze, who both missed in the Budapest shootout, appeared in good spirits on the bus despite the disappointment of the night before, while Arteta smiled broadly as he waved to the crowds. Members of the Arsenal staff followed on a second bus, while the women’s team were on a third bus parading the Fifa Champions Cup they won in February.
Fans began arriving along the route in the early hours of Sunday morning, with hundreds of thousands expected in total.
The owners of a cafe on Holloway Road said it was “almost surreal” to have the bus parade coming past. Seb Olid, a part owner of Coffee Zee, said he was in the area when Arsenal last won the league in 2004 and that it could not compare to this bus parade. He said: “It’s the most insane I have ever seen it. I was here in 2004 and it was nothing like this.”
Arteta’s players had departed their hotel in Budapest a few hours earlier in defeat, with the Arsenal manager vowing to use the setback as “fuel” to carry them to glory next season.
Myles Lewis-Skelly was not even born the last time Arsenal won the title in 2004. The 19-year-old, who started the Champions League final in midfield, told Sky Sports: “First of all, I’m so proud of the boys. I’m proud of the organisation in helping us get here because it hasn’t been an easy season. But obviously we’ve come to the end of the season and we’re champions of England.
“It’s disappointing because when you’re so close to a dream, a goal, you feel slightly short but as Mikel said, it’s added fuel to the fire, so we’ll use that. It means everything, just to share this moment with our people. It’s incredible because it’s a chance to pay them back for all the sacrifices they’ve helped us through.
“Just sharing this moment together will be special. I’m going to see my family here as well. It’s going to be emotional, so I’m so excited. The last two weeks have been incredible. Just sharing those moments with the team, the people that you love dearly, that you go to war with. It’s amazing. For me, [the future] is bright. I feel like it’s the start of a new era and I feel like we’re ready to go and achieve our dreams.
“[Arteta] has been so supportive of me over my whole journey, so I’m just so grateful for him and the trust he’s given me.” Asked for a message for the fans, Lewis-Skelly added: “Thank you, and we’re not done!”