There's a growing sentiment in online football circles that mirrors a troubling trend in society at large: constant negativity, and an almost reflexive need to tear down anyone who dares to celebrate. This season, Arsenal have found themselves at the center of that storm.

After the Gunners secured a dramatic 2-1 aggregate victory over Atlético Madrid to book their place in the Champions League final for the first time in two decades, the Emirates erupted. But not everyone was impressed.

Wayne Rooney, working as a pundit for Amazon that night, suggested Arsenal's celebrations were over the top. It's a stance he's held before—he made similar comments when Manchester City celebrated beating Arsenal at the Etihad. Rooney, of course, knows what it takes to win at the highest level. But does that mean he gets to dictate how others should feel?

What Rooney and others may have missed is that this wasn't just about winning a semi-final. It was about a club and its fans releasing two decades of pent-up emotion. Twenty years since their only Champions League final appearance. Twenty years of near-misses, rebuilds, and plenty of people laughing along the way.

Even this season, a campaign that has seen Arsenal spend much of their time at the top of the Premier League, the mockery has been relentless. So when a moment as rare as this arrives—something that has only happened once before in the club's history—why shouldn't they embrace it fully?

Rooney is entitled to his opinion, but one has to wonder: would the same critics be so quick to judge if it were Atlético Madrid heading to Budapest instead? And more importantly, who has the right to tell someone else how to feel about a moment they've waited two decades for?

Mikel Arteta's job is to make Arsenal fans happy. Those outside that bubble? Their opinions don't carry the same weight. Sport is meant to be an escape, a source of joy in an uncertain world. If reaching a Champions League final isn't a reason to celebrate, then what is?