North London celebration caps unprecedented European soccer season as multiple underdog clubs claim league titles.
The wait is over for Arsenal fans. After 22 years of mostly underachievement, the Gunners clinched the Premier League title late Tuesday when second-place Manchester City drew a must-win game at Bournemouth.
This season marked a remarkable trend across European soccer: first-time champions and teams ending decades-long title droughts emerged from unexpected places.
Scandinavian Roots
It began in October with Swedish club Mjällby, a 87-year-old club playing in the third tier just nine years earlier. Weeks later, Norway's Viking sealed its first title in 34 years.
Viking overcame Bodø/Glimt, the Arctic Circle team that achieved Champions League fame this season by beating Manchester City, Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan.
Denmark completed the Nordic hat trick when AGF from Aarhus won the title in May—their first in 40 years, guided by coach Jakob Poulsen.
Other European Leagues
In Austria, LASK from Linz claimed their first title in 61 years, ending Salzburg's decade-long dominance.
Bulgarian giants Levski Sofia won their first title in 17 years, recently purchased by former Goldman Sachs investment banker Atanas Bostandjiev.
Azerbaijan saw Sabah win its first championship just nine years after the club was founded. In Hungary, Győri ETO beat seven-time defending champion Ferencvaros by one point.
Romania's Universitatea Craiova won their first title since 1991, featuring 11-goal top scorer Assad Al Hamlawi from the Palestinian national team.
Near Misses
In France, Lens nearly pulled off a Hollywood ending, chasing Qatari-owned Paris Saint-Germain into May for their first title since 1998.
Scotland delivered the most heartbreaking finish. Heart of Midlothian led the Premiership from September until the 87th minute of a showdown at Celtic on Saturday—their third last-day heartbreak since winning in 1960.
The Trend Explained
Analyst Olivier Jarosz, who advises investors and teams across Europe, said a more democratic access to knowledge and data about running clubs and scouting players has helped smaller teams compete.
If so, more unheralded teams could be lifting trophies in provincial towns next season.