Mikel Arteta has never been afraid of a debate, and when Wayne Rooney used a media platform to criticise Arsenal's celebrations during their Champions League campaign earlier in the season, he filed it away. Now, with the Premier League title confirmed and the Gunners proven right about virtually everything, Arteta was asked about the "celebration police" — the commentators, pundits, and rival supporters who had called Arsenal over-emotional, premature, or arrogant in how they marked moments of success during a campaign that would ultimately end in a title. His response was laughter.
Arteta did not go for the jugular. He did not name names or settle scores publicly. He simply laughed — a wide, genuine, unforced laugh — and suggested that the people who had commented on how Arsenal celebrated had perhaps not considered what it means to a group of players who have been through three consecutive runners-up finishes to finally get over the line. "You have to celebrate your moments," he said. "You have to celebrate with your people." His tone was that of a man who no longer needs to prove anything to anyone.
Rooney's Original Complaint
Rooney had argued earlier in the season that Arsenal celebrated Champions League wins in a way that seemed disproportionate — too much noise for matches that were not the ultimate prize. His position reflected a certain old-school English football culture that prizes restraint, particularly before the hardest work is done. There is an argument for that view — nobody wants a team that celebrates winning a group stage game as though they have won the tournament. But Arsenal's players and supporters have also lived through years of near-misses and heartbreak, and the release of emotion that comes with winning important matches is not necessarily the same as overconfidence.
What the criticism missed was the context. Arsenal under Arteta have built their culture deliberately — the shared belief, the collective mentality, the refusal to apologise for wanting things badly. Celebrating together is part of that. It is not arrogance. It is a group of people who have invested deeply in a project reminding themselves and each other that they are on the right path. As it turned out, they were.
The Silence of the Critics
Arsenal are Premier League champions. That reality tends to close down most debates in football, which operates on results above all else. The people who questioned Arteta's methods, the squad's mentality, whether three runner-up finishes suggested a ceiling rather than a stepping stone — they are now having to reassess. Not all of them will do so publicly, and some will shift smoothly to the next available criticism, but the record shows what the record shows.
Arteta has consistently projected calm under pressure throughout this campaign. Even when City's form in February suggested the gap was narrowing, he did not deviate from the message or the method. He trusted his players, his staff, and the way they had built the team. That trust has now been completely vindicated.
What Comes Next
Arteta is already looking ahead. The Champions League final against PSG in Budapest on May 30 is ten days away, and he will not allow the Premier League celebrations to run so long that they affect preparation. Arsenal have a chance to complete a double that would place this squad in genuinely historic company. The manager who laughed off the celebration police this week knows exactly what finishing the season with both trophies would mean. He is not done celebrating yet — but he is also not done winning.
Context: Mikel Arteta became Arsenal manager in December 2019. The Champions League final against PSG takes place on May 30, 2026 in Budapest. Arsenal have won their 14th top-flight title and first since the Invincibles season in 2003-04.
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