The Arsene Wenger era - a story that started at Ewood Park against Blackburn Rovers on 12 October 1996 - will extend further into its third decade after he agreed a two-year deal to stay as Arsenal manager.
Wenger has become an increasingly divisive figure among Arsenal fans in recent years but has agreed to remain at the club in the after-glow of an historic seventh FA Cup win at the club after Saturday's 2-1 win against Chelsea at Wembley.
It was a success that added to his three Premier League titles, including two domestic doubles, and six Charity and Community Shields, ensuring he could play a strong hand in Monday's meeting with Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke that finally ended a tortuous, acrimonious period of uncertainty over his future.
A section of Arsenal's support have organised protest marches and made their discontent clear as Wenger's side once again failed to halt a barren title sequence stretching back to "The Invincibles" season of 2003/04 - with the manager describing some of his treatment as "a disgrace."
So will the wounds heal in the next phase of the Wenger era? And is this the right decision for Wenger and Arsenal?
Have Arsenal and Wenger got it right?
Wenger says he will "never forget" some of the criticism he has endured this season, clearly believing he should have been afforded more respect given his track record.
He delivered a very clear message to his detractors, and indeed Arsenal's board, when he said after the FA Cup Final win: "It is not about popularity. It is about competence."
Wenger's competence has been questioned by some this season but Saturday's win, when Premier League champions Chelsea were overpowered and outplayed, clawed back credibility and provided a platform of success for next season.
Have Arsenal and Wenger got it right?
Wenger says he will "never forget" some of the criticism he has endured this season, clearly believing he should have been afforded more respect given his track record.
He delivered a very clear message to his detractors, and indeed Arsenal's board, when he said after the FA Cup Final win: "It is not about popularity. It is about competence."
Wenger's competence has been questioned by some this season but Saturday's win, when Premier League champions Chelsea were overpowered and outplayed, clawed back credibility and provided a platform of success for next season.
Have Arsenal and Wenger got it right?
Wenger says he will "never forget" some of the criticism he has endured this season, clearly believing he should have been afforded more respect given his track record.
He delivered a very clear message to his detractors, and indeed Arsenal's board, when he said after the FA Cup Final win: "It is not about popularity. It is about competence."
Wenger's competence has been questioned by some this season but Saturday's win, when Premier League champions Chelsea were overpowered and outplayed, clawed back credibility and provided a platform of success for next season.
Have Arsenal and Wenger got it right?
Wenger says he will "never forget" some of the criticism he has endured this season, clearly believing he should have been afforded more respect given his track record.
He delivered a very clear message to his detractors, and indeed Arsenal's board, when he said after the FA Cup Final win: "It is not about popularity. It is about competence."
Wenger's competence has been questioned by some this season but Saturday's win, when Premier League champions Chelsea were overpowered and outplayed, clawed back credibility and provided a platform of success for next season.
Have Arsenal and Wenger got it right?
Wenger says he will "never forget" some of the criticism he has endured this season, clearly believing he should have been afforded more respect given his track record.
He delivered a very clear message to his detractors, and indeed Arsenal's board, when he said after the FA Cup Final win: "It is not about popularity. It is about competence."
Wenger's competence has been questioned by some this season but Saturday's win, when Premier League champions Chelsea were overpowered and outplayed, clawed back credibility and provided a platform of success for next season.
Arsenal have not qualified for the Champions League for the first time in 20 years - and many would believe an FA Cup triumph would be the perfect parting point, allowing Wenger to go out on a high and a successor to usher in the new era.
Wenger does not think in those terms. He is the eternal optimist who has never felt Arsenal were far away from recreating a title-winning team, even though the evidence against has piled up before him.
He is committed as ever, even after 1,175 games as Arsenal manager, 676 wins and a remarkable win percentage of 57.5% - but did Saturday start a new era of success that can emulate his early glories, or will he simply face the same criticism again at the first sign of trouble next season?
The Daily Mirror's chief football writer John Cross, author of "Arsene Wenger: The Inside Story Of Arsenal Under Arsene Wenger", first covered the club for Islington Gazette and has covered his reign through 20 years as a national reporter.
He told BBC Sport: "I think it has gone a bit stale at times. I'd love to see Arsene Wenger go out on a high and, maybe now on the back of FA Cup glory and history, the time has come for him to go.
"The fans enjoyed their day at Wembley but is that the mood long term, or will they quickly go back to being unhappy? It's a fine line and Wenger should be remembered as nothing but a hero. Staying longer would put that in jeopardy."
Cross adds: "He has been Arsenal's best ever manager. He's been fantastic, absolutely magnificent and an innovator for English football and Arsenal. But all good things come to an end and I just think, despite the FA Cup win, he's not the force he once was."
Arsene Wenger in 1996
Arsene Wenger's first Arsenal game ended with a 2-0 win, both goals scored by Ian Wright
Arsenal season ticket holder and shareholder Darren Epstein, one of the most respected fan voices on Twitter with a following of 117,000, also believes there was a case for change.
He says: "In my opinion we have reached a natural time when he should depart and the club should look to new ideas - but given that we have won a trophy, in that sense it has been a successful season to some extent."
Wenger's stubbornness has been his strength so often, but the French revolutionary who changed the face of British football when he arrived in 1996, has seemed reluctant to change himself faced with the new breed of managers arriving in the Premier League, such as Antonio Conte at Chelsea, Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, old adversary Jose Mourinho at Manchester United and Tottenham's Mauricio Pochettino.
He may, though, offer the counter argument that for all the praise and respect lavished on Klopp, Guardiola and Pochettino this season, Wenger has actually won more than any of them.
In his mind trophies are still a currency worth dealing in and will refresh his ambitions for the summer now he is staying.
And while he picked up 69% of his trophy haul, 11 out of 16, from 1996/97 to 2005/06, his win percentage in that period has rarely dropped, reducing from 57.6% in that first phase to 57.5% in the subsequent period.
Ironically, Wenger and Arsenal's win percentage in all competitions this season, 63.6% from 55 matches, is actually higher than the 62.7% from 59 matches in "The Invincibles" campaign - an example of the vagaries of statistics.
Indeed, this season he won an impressive 23 league games compared to 26 in 2003/04. The sign of the soft underbelly Wenger has failed to cure in recent years, and has made him the target for such criticism, is illustrated by nine defeats this season.
Arsenal players in action during the 2003-04 season
In 2004, Arsenal became the first side to go through a league season unbeaten since Preston achieved the feat in 1888-89
Wenger will now overtake Sir Alex Ferguson's record total of 810 games in charge, with his current total standing at 790.
And it is a tribute to his longevity that his record of 20 years and seven months at Arsenal puts him 16 years ahead of the next Premier League manager's record at his current club, Eddie Howe's four years and seven months at Bournemouth.
Wenger is experienced enough to know that the undercurrent of unhappiness that has swirled around Emirates Stadium will not disappear with news he is staying. He will be aware many fans will not rejoice and a slow start next season could see the ill-feeling return.
But Martin Keown, a cornerstone of Wenger's glittering early period, when he won three titles and three FA Cups under the Frenchman, believes he will relish the fight.
He told BBC Sport: "This guy is a fighter. He told me he was fighting every day in the playground at school. I hadn't met anyone else like that and I know I was. He is a scrapper and a survivor - more of a fighter and scrapper than people will ever think,"
There is an element of further risk to his reputation by staying on. It remains to be seen whether it was risk worth taking.
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