Angga Yudha Pratama
Merahputih.com - Pasukan Arsenal kini tengah berdiri tegak. Tinggal selangkah lagi pasukan Meriam London merengkuh trofi Liga Champions perdana sepanjang sejarah klub.
Kepercayaan diri skuad asuhan Mikel Arteta berada pada titik tertinggi usai menyegel gelar juara Premier League musim ini. Membakar gairah para Gooners mengakhiri penantian panjang kompetisi Eropa.
Momentum krusial ini memunculkan kembali kisah sebuah lagu penempa mental juara bagi publik Emirates Stadium. Lagu berjudul The Angel (North London Forever) ciptaan Louis Mark Dunford menjelma menjadi anthem wajib pembakar semangat tarung Declan Rice dan kawan-kawan.
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Link Live Streaming Final Liga Champions PSG vs Arsenal, 30 Mei 2026
Dunford merilis karya emosional tersebut pada 2022 sebagai bagian dari The Popham EP. Lirik magis dalam lagu menggambarkan rasa cinta mendalam terhadap dinamika kehidupan jalanan London Utara, terlepas dari segala kondisi buruk maupun peristiwa kelam pengiringnya.
Ide Gila Mikel Arteta Pasca Pandemi
Kehadiran melodi pemersatu tersebut tidak lepas dari kejelian sang juru taktik Meriam London. Mikel Arteta menjadi sosok paling berjasa memperkenalkan lagu The Angel kepada basis massa pendukung Arsenal.
Sang manajer awalnya mencari sebuah stimulus spiritual demi merekatkan kembali hubungan suporter pasca badai pandemi COVID-19 selesai bergulir.
Stadion Emirates akhirnya memperdengarkan lagu North London Forever secara resmi untuk kali pertama saat Arsenal menjamu Leeds United pada 8 Mei 2022. Pilihan berani tersebut terbukti ampuh menyatukan emosi seisi stadion hingga saat ini.
“Selama bertahun-tahun mencari lagu dari seluruh dunia. Apakah ada sesuatu bisa dibawa? Lagu haruslah sesuatu membuat orang merasa menjadi bagian di dalamnya,” ujar Arteta dalam siniar The Overlap.
Mantra Sakti Menuju Singgasana Eropa
Semenjak momen krusial menghadapi Leeds United tersebut, karya Louis Dunford resmi naik kasta menjadi lagu wajib wajib putar sebelum laga kandang dimulai. Ritual bernyanyi bersama terbukti ampuh mendongkrak performa tim saat bermain di hadapan publik sendiri.
Kini, anthem keramat London Utara siap mengiringi langkah kaki para pemain menuju podium tertinggi benua biru. Berbekal kombinasi taktik brilian dan suntikan motivasi lewat nada, Arsenal menatap laga puncak dengan ambisi meruntuhkan dominasi para raksasa Eropa.
Baca juga:
Arsenal Harus Gempur Habis-Habisan PSG dari Sisi Kanan Jika Ingin Angkat Trofi Liga Champions
Lirik The Angel (North London Forever)
As I walk these streets alone, through this borough I call home
Upon the baron fields of Highbury 'neath the stadiums of stone
Through the turnstiles at The Angel, see the homeless on the green
From The Cally to The Cross, and every shithole in between
Pass the church, the mosque, a crack den, and the offie on the corner
See the brasses from the brothel that pretends to be a sauna
Watch the bedlam in the bookies, see the winners and the losers
Seeking solace from their sorrows in the local battle cruisers
Through the madness in the market, weathered faces turn to greet ya
"Hello guvnor, how's your mother?"
"You alright son, be lucky, geeza"
Double pie and mash and liquor, a Cuppa Rosie Lee up chap
Or watch retired gangsters bicker, everyday in Arthur's cafe
The little fuckers causing trouble, for the cozzers make you smile
You meet ya muckers for a couple, forget your troubles for a while
From The Thornhill to The Hemmy, all the faces are the same
'Cause the manor might be changing, but the people still remain
North London forever
Whatever the weather
These streets are our own
And my heart will leave you never
My blood will forever
Run through the stone
As I walk these streets alone, through a kingdom made of Chrome
I see them ripping up the cobbles, and tearing down our childhood homes
I see the architecture changing, watch the history disappear
And the skyline rearranging into towers of veneer
But I see the remnants of the London that they thought they could erase
Every time I hear the old school talk about the good old days
Or every time I watch the football and have a ruby with the lads
See an hoister selling clobber or a dealer shooting bags
It's in the single mothers juggling a baby and a job
In every single brother struggling that wound up in the dock
It's in the roots and the foundations still clinging to the land
It's in the bricks that built the Morland and Popham that still stand
It's in my family and my friends, in every gram and every Benz
It's in the roots that we inherit when a generation ends
It's in the ruins of your youth and the faces of your past
'Cause the manor might be changing, but the people always last
North London forever
Whatever the weather
These streets are our own
And my heart will leave you never
My blood will forever
Run through the stone
(Bolaskor)
