I was desperate for the title race to end on Tuesday night. I don't think I could bear it going to the final game.
After back-to-back 1-0 wins against West Ham and Burnley, my nerves had been shredded. The win at the London Stadium was one of the most painful experiences I have ever had watching sport.
So first off, I would like to thank Bournemouth and Andoni Iraola. I hope they qualify for the Champions League. Alongside Everton and David Moyes, they have a special place in my heart forever.
I remember getting into football when I was nine years old, falling in love with the sport after Euro 2008. When the domestic season began, I remember Arsenal catching my eye for several reasons.
Firstly, they are a London club around 45 minutes from me. I was advised that having a local connection to the team you support feels more special.
Secondly, Cesc Fabregas played for them. He was a player who really grabbed my attention during Spain's victory at the Euros, despite being used mainly as a substitute. He instantly became my favourite footballer.
Also... red is my favourite colour.
That was that then. Arsenal were part of my life.
The first time I went to the Emirates Stadium was in October 2009, as I watched Arsenal beat Liverpool 2-1 in the Carling Cup. Fran Merida (anyone remember him?) scored a stunner right in front of me.
The second game I ever went to was on January 31st, 2010 - the day after my birthday. I watched Manchester United decimate us 3-1 after a masterclass from Nani, Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Happy birthday to me!
So it hasn't been easy for Arsenal fans over the last 22 years. During the latter period of Arsene Wenger's reign, we became a bit of a laughing stock.
We were a team that always played pretty football, had plenty of players with panache and flair, but lacked backbone and were regularly walked all over.
8-2 loss to Manchester United. 5-1 loss to Liverpool. 6-0 loss to Chelsea in Wenger's 1,000th match. 10-2 aggregate loss to Bayern Munich. Those results became the norm.
Our best players were leaving to join rival clubs. Robin van Persie joined Manchester United. Manchester City poached Samir Nasri and Gael Clichy. Fabregas returned to Barcelona. They didn't see Arsenal as contenders.
I think Arsenal coined the term 'Banter Era'.
The fans were disconnected from the club. The greatest manager in the history of Arsenal was being hounded out. It became pretty toxic. It was a real low point.
Everyone else loved it, though. We were exactly where they wanted us.
However, we did get some hands on some silverware. Our 3-2 win over Hull City in the FA Cup final was the happiest I had been as an Arsenal fan, and we went on to win two more FA Cups under Wenger. It was his bread and butter.
But eventually, the French icon left, and it was a new world for Arsenal. I really wanted Mikel Arteta in charge straight after him. I'm not totally sure why. I remember how excited I was when he signed as a player in 2011, as I was a pretty big fan of his, so it may have been that.
He was also highly regarded as a coach, and I wasn't really warm towards the idea of Unai Emery either.
Emery was appointed in the end, and we ended his first season with a humiliating defeat in the Europa League final to Chelsea, and the Spaniard was sacked - more woe.
So Pep Guardiola's assistant coach, Arteta, eventually arrived. I was excited. Within a few months, we won another FA Cup, beating Manchester City and Chelsea on our way to the trophy.
But the next couple of years weren't straightforward either. Arteta, who is in his first management position, did some learning on the job and attempted to transform the toxic culture of the club and get rid of several big players (Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Mesut Ozil) who were on massive wages and didn't fit the culture Arteta wanted to instil.
Two eighth-place finishes in his first year and a half were tough, and I would be lying if I said my confidence didn't waver slightly. I never wanted him gone, but I was wondering if maybe he wasn't the man.
But credit has to go to Arsenal. They stuck with him in the dark times. A lot of other clubs may have given him the boot.
The progress started to show. He began to make young players like Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe key parts of his side, and, alongside Sporting Director, Edu, he started to get transfer dealings right. We finished fifth in his third season.
In 2022/23, Arteta's team played the best football I have ever seen Arsenal display. With Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko signed from Man City, Arsenal went on a proper title charge.
Wonderful, free-flowing football, playing teams off the park, we looked on course to win the league. But deep down, I wasn't totally convinced.
Eventually, in the business end of the season, Arsenal fell away, with the powerhouse outfit of Manchester City reeling us in, smashing us 4-1 at the Etihad to all but seal the deal. We weren't ready to win the league, and we weren't physically strong enough.
William Saliba's injury also proved fatal - Rob Holding had to come in, illustrating our lack of depth.
The following summer, Arteta brought in David Raya, Kai Havertz, Jurrien Timber, and, of course, Declan Rice for £105 million.
Raya took over the goalkeeping spot from Aaron Ramsdale, who was, at the time, much loved by fans. I thought it was a good move, and it has proven to be a stroke of genius.
He has gone on to win the Golden Glove award three seasons in a row, be the best goalkeeper I have ever seen at Arsenal, and cement himself as one of the best in the world.
Timber has been a stalwart at right back, and what else can you say about Rice? He has become our very own Roy Keane. A Steven Gerrard-like figure. A man mountain who can dominate a midfield singlehandedly. He has been an era-defining signing for the club.
Havertz splits opinion amongst fans, and while I haven't always been his biggest admirer, he has come up with some big goals and moments, and he offers a lot to the team and fits the way Arteta wants his team to play.
The second half of that season was the best Arsenal team I have ever seen. We played more attacking, exciting football in the campaign prior, but this was a proper, well-oiled, powerful outfit. This felt like a combative team ready to win
We won 16 of our last 18 games, with a single loss to Aston Villa during that period proving to be fatal, as we finished second, two points behind City.
The following season was extremely disappointing. An anti-climactic window of Riccardo Calafiori, Mikel Merino and Raheem Sterling left us short, despite the aforementioned pair being good additions.
We never really competed as Liverpool ran away with the title, but a run to the Champions League semi-final, including that quarter-final victory over Real Madrid, was special. Rice's free-kicks and performances over the two legs will live long in the memory.
So we arrive at this season. Edu surprisingly left his role at Arsenal and was replaced by former Atletico Madrid Sporting Director Andrea Berta.
It was a huge summer for the club, as they spent heaps of money on Martin Zubimendi, Viktor Gyokeres, Ebercehi Eze, Noni Madueke, Christian Norgaard, Cristhian Mosquera, Piero Hincapie and Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Arteta had morphed his team into a physical powerhouse. A side built on their defensive prowess, incredible resilience, historically good set-piece skills, and territorial dominance. He wanted to create a team that could survive the vigours of a long season, battling on several fronts, and shed the 'bottling' narrative that had been attached to the club for so long.
Never have I seen a manager under as much pressure as Arteta to deliver the title. Only one other team had gone three straight seasons finishing second, and that was Arsenal between 1998 and 2001. They went on to win the league in 2002.
The scrutiny he faced was remarkable. Perhaps rightly so. He had gone six years without winning a Premier League or Champions League.
But some of it was exaggerated. Arteta rubs people the wrong way because he is a unique character. He does things differently, with stories of pick-pocketing and lighting bonfires as methods to motivate his players, winding people up, for whatever reason.
Arsenal were the dominant force for the first half of the season, surging to the top of the table, competing in four competitions, and most tipping us to win the title.
Of course, several tried to downplay what we were doing. Some said we should have an asterisk next to our name because of the robust, physical football we were playing and because we're not always easy on the eye.
Some were saying we were cheats for our set-piece power. Arsenal had become a team so hated by everyone else that they were gagging for City to win the title again.
They didn't like the fact that Arsenal were actually serious now. It was a lot more fun for them when we were getting swatted by the big teams and not challenging for anything.
Ain't no fun when the rabbit got the gun.
The second half of the season became a real slog. The nerves started to seep in, and the energy levels of players started to dip.
It became even more of a grind, as Arsenal looked to crawl over the line rather than sprint.
Losses to Manchester United and Manchester City, as well as a draw from two goals up against bottom-of-the-table Wolves at various points, had Arsenal fans seriously worried. I started to panic. It wasn't going to happen again, was it? Surely not.
But Arsenal recovered. They went into lockdown mode. Since losing to City, Arsenal haven't conceded a goal, winning three of their four games 1-0. The only goal they conceded across six games in all competitions was an Atletico penalty.
And that is all she wrote.
After Bournemouth held City to a 1-1 draw, we were crowned champions. It has been agonising. It has been torturous. Some of these 1-0 wins have aged me considerably. I have never endured a season like it.
But ultimately, it has all been worth it.
London turned red as fans celebrated through the night. The players were out late at London Colney. The scenes still don't feel real.
Arteta has united a fanbase. The Emirates has come together under him. I was at the game last season when Arsenal beat City 5-1. The atmosphere was absolutely mindboggling.
You saw the scenes when Arsenal hosted Atletico in the Champions League semi-final second leg. It was special. From a club that had lost its way, from a position where fans no longer recognised their team, Arteta has made us believe once more.
His project has come to fruition. He may have his flaws. He may be a bit safe at times and play on the finest of margins. Perhaps he hasn't always purchased well in attacking areas.
But he is now a legend at the club. A brilliant coach and manager who has taken the reins, morphing Arsenal into his image. He has proven his resilience and toughness, and that's what his team has become.
He has eventually found a way.
Gabriel and Saliba have become one of the finest centre-back partnerships in Premier League history, while Raya and Rice will go down as greats. This is what Arsenal have been built on. Defensive foundations and sheer willpower.
But a special mention has to go to Saka.
Players have come and gone. Managers have come and gone. But since 2018, Saka has been ever-present in the team.
From left back, to wing back, to one of the world's best wingers. He has seen the hard times and endured difficult moments of his own. He has put his body on the line and suffered injuries for the club he loves so much.
He hasn't had his greatest season, but you know what, this football club owes him. He now has the Premier League title that he so deserves.
This is easily one of the best and most memorable moments of my life, and I will never, ever forget how I felt over these 10 months. This season will be imprinted in my brain forever.
I am so proud of this team and how we have done it. We don't have 115 charges on our name. We haven't been found guilty of making secret payments and being handed transfer bans and fines.
We've done it properly. The right way, and you know what, the job isn't finished.
Onto Budapest.