What else could unite Jeremy Corbyn, Piers Morgan and the late Chief Rabbi? There is no club like Arsenal

Instead, we settled for silent screaming and streaming Queen’s We Are The Champions on Spotify.

Now, I'll admit there’s not much to be overjoyed about out there right now – but the feeling of seeing Man City’s hopes of victory dashed and Arsenal confirmed as league champions should be bottled.

I owe my Arsenal fandom to my dad. Like many boys who grew up in north-west London during the ‘90s, I too was susceptible to destructive ideas.

There was a time when I thought about becoming a United fan, and it was my dad who rightly encouraged me to support my local team instead.

Last night, I was transported back to 1998, watching Arsenal’s win against Everton (and THAT Tony Adams goal) in Dad’s old flat in West Hampstead. Later that season, we’d win the FA cup against Newcastle, and one of my fondest childhood memories is going with my dad to the double parade, where I maintain that club legend Ian Wright waved directly at me.
Moving to Israel a year later, supporting Arsenal was, at first, a solitary experience. Thanks to Thierry Henry’s brilliance and my nagging encouragement, two of my closest friends eventually chose Arsenal as their English team.

It’s been 22 years since the Invincibles showed us that anything’s possible in North London, and that stretch has made this victory taste even sweeter. In the 24 hours since being confirmed as champions of England (what a joy to write that sentence), I’d like to say that I have been measured, magnanimous and composed in my celebrations and not gloated or been obnoxious towards any Spurs colleagues or friends. However, clause 1 of the Editors’ code says that the JC must not publish “inaccurate, misleading or distorted information”.

So I should admit to responding to a very sweet WhatsApp message from a Spurs fan, with a screenshot of the BBC Sport website showing the final score of relegation-threatened (writing this will never get old) Tottenham’s defeat to Chelsea, alongside an image of Donald Trump with the caption: “Not a pleasant day for you? Not a great day.”

If you thought Arsenal fans were insufferable and arrogant before our silverware was confirmed, then you’d better strap in. After three seasons of being labelled “bottlers” for finishing second place, we’ve earned our right to gloat. You’re not drinking Arsenal fans’ tears now, are ya?

Personally, I am in wholehearted agreement with former Board of Deputies treasurer Laurence Brass who once wrote in a North London Derby matchday programme: "I can say with some confidence that Arsenal has always attracted a larger percentage of Jewish supporters than any other London club," but I recognise that the debate will probably remain unresolved even if Moshiach arrives.

But if last night was anything to go by, there are more than enough of us Jewish Gooners out there.

One who sadly didn’t get to witness his team’s triumph was former Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks z”l, who passed away in 2020.

One story he was fond of telling was that in one (midweek) fixture in 1990, he and former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey had been given a pleasant welcome by supporters who assumed that the backing of two religious leaders meant that the game was in the bag for Arsenal.

They were battered 6-2 by Manchester United.

Challenged by a newspaper that the defeat amounted to definitive proof that God didn’t exist, Sacks retorted that the opposite was the case, it is just that he supports Manchester United.

As an aside, can any other football club say that it has united, at one point or another, the former Chief Rabbi, Osama Bin Laden, Jeremy Corbyn and Piers Morgan?

My one prayer ahead of the Champions League final on Saturday week is that if He does exist, God is not a Paris Saint-Germain fan.