Football has become as much about the personalities and the panache as the goals and a great celebration is always one that sticks with the fans. The excitement of scoring a goal also brings us hilarious and bizarre celebrations either planned before the game and sometimes on the spot with the moment taking over. Many players of course jump on the opportunity to show off their chiseled body while some display gymnastic skills and even some moves like jagger.
While Cristiano Ronaldo deserves a mention for his iconic celebration, it doesn’t make our list today and you’ll soon see why. There are times when the goal celebrations overshadow the actual goal, so take you through some of the best of the years.
Robbie Keane has substantiated himself as a dedicated player at each club he has been a part of. He has been a deadly striker at top clubs around the world, including Inter Milan, Leeds United, Spurs, Liverpool, Celtic, and L.A. Galaxy. Having scored countless goals, Keane has also put in a considerable measure of work on his celebrations. His trademark goal celebration is far from the greatest demonstration of gymnastic ability but the forward cartwheel into the trigger is one to remember. Keane has been a top choice at each club he has played for, and his iconic goal celebration is surely a contributing element to this.
South Africa will be remembered for the opening goal of the 2010 World Cup against Mexico, scored by Siphiwe Tshabalala, for their choreographed celebration. Five South African players ran to the corner flag to perform a routine that almost resembled the wedding classic ‘Blame It On The Boogie’. Brilliant…
Peter Crouch always stands out in a crowd, not just because of his height but because of his goal celebration. In 2006, he became famous for his celebration against Hungary and Jamaica where he performed the robot which looked wasn’t the most co-ordinnated either considering the players’ physique. Crouch retired the robot for a while until 2009 against Ukraine but it’s celebration made Crouch very famous in England as everyone in the country was replicating the celebration on the dance floor.
Things are never calm in a Merseyside Derby. The Liverpool Legend was accused of being a drug consumer by the Everton fans back in the 1999 Merseyside Derby. Fowler responded to them in a typical fashion by scoring two goals annd scoring the second goal, Fowler ran towards the touchline, got on his knees and started sniffing the ground as if he was sniffing cocaine. The former England striker was fined £60,000 and was suspended for four games. Gerrard Houllier who managed Liverpool back then tried to defend Fowler by saying he was pretending to eat grass which no one believed.
This takes us back to 2009 and a match against his former team Arsenal, where he would score the defining goal to give Manchester City the victory. When a player scores against their former club, they usually refrain from celebrating to show respect to the former team. This is unmistakably not Adebayor‘s style, as he ran the full 90 yards of the pitch to the away end where the traveling and frustrated Arsenal fans were, prior to sliding on his knees and celebrating. The Arsenal fans were furious, with many trying to invade the pitch and pelting Adebayor with different items.
Eric Cantona had a mind-boggling career at Old Trafford – a man who was essentially known as “The King.” Aside from a couple of disciplinary issues, he was an astounding player and one of the greats of the Premier League. In 1996 against Sunderland, Cantona scored a great chip from the edge of the box which appeared to hang in the air forever, prior to kissing the post and rolling around the net. The goal saw Old Trafford go crazy while the Frenchman casually gradually turned and afterward, raised his arms into the air in acknowledgment of the dazzling goal. That moment has stood the test of time…
The British striker who is well known for his spells with Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool is also known very well for his trademark celebration. Sturridge simply runs down the flag and does his wave dance. The celebration is quite famous in England and people still replicate it. Fans are eagerly waiting to see the celebration again but the player currently is out of contract.
The United legend is well known for his goals at Manchester United but not many people talk about his celebrations. This one against Tottenham Hotspurs is one to be remembered. Wayne Rooney celebrated Manchester United’s third goal against Tottenham at Old Trafford with a boxing move, referencing a video in which Rooney appeared to be knocked unconscious in a kitchen boxing bout with former Stoke City defender Phil Bardsley.
Griezmann’s go-to celebration for both Barcelona and France is called ‘Take the L’ from the well-known game Fortnite. The move involves swinging your legs side-to-side while holding one arm at head height. One of the best was at the World Cup Final against Croatia when Griezmann scored a penalty to give France a crucial 2 – 1 lead.
Bafetimbi Gomis’ ‘panther-walk’ celebration is up among the most iconic celebrations in football. The celebration came into the limelight during his stint with Swansea City in the Premier League. He famously celebrated after scoring the winner against Manchester United in a 2-1 victory back in 2015 and even famously scared a ball boy with it during his time at Saudi Arabian club Al Ittihad. The footballer thought it would be a good idea to walk towards a ball boy while doing the celebration, but ended up frightening the daylights out of the kid with his walk, who began to run away hysterically as Gomis came close.
[Featured Image Credit: Sky Sports]
Shashank Iyer