5 ways football players celebrate victories

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You might be a great fan of football. A lot of people are; it’s the most popular sport on the planet for a reason, but players are even more ardent fans of the game and it’s no shocker. For us it’s a game, a thing to love. For them, it’s so much more. For the players, it’s a lifestyle. So, it’s no wonder that players love to celebrate their victories. Here are a few ways that players celebrate their victories and achievements.

Take the match ball home

Taking the match ball home is a special way to celebrate their achievement and it is memorabilia of a great performance. The reason is obvious — you get to take the match ball home only if you score a hattrick! And if you score a hattrick in a match then there’s no doubt about your magical performance. Players like Messi and Ronaldo have taken quite an envious number of match balls over the years.

Cut the goal net

As surprising as it sounds, sometimes players cut a piece of the goal net to take a memento of their victory. Or in Gerard Pique’s case, the entire net. (Of course, we later came to know that it was supposed to be a gift for a friend whose wedding he was missing for the match but the idea was still the same). Originally this is a basketball tradition but over the years even footballers have tried this while basking in the ecstasy of their post-match celebration.

Get a tattoo

Arguably one of the most common methods of making an achievement memorable is getting a tattoo that symbolises that particular match or even better — getting a tattoo of the trophy. Take Sergio Ramos for example. He’s got a tattoo of the Champions League silverware on one calve and the World Cup trophy on the other. As he said after getting the tattoos, “The champions in our skin and heart”.

Wear a Special Edition kit

Jerseys or football kits are an important part of the game and many believe that even the kits have an impact on the outcome of the match. (A superstition; there are many of those in football).

Sometimes the whole team will wear a special edition kit to celebrate one of the player’s achievements. As we saw in 2021 when the PSG team donned a special edition gold tinted kit to celebrate Messi’s historic win of his 7th Ballon d’Or. Adidas has released a special edition kit this year to celebrate Karim Benzema’s Ballon d’Or win as well.

Perform a special celebration

Modern football is much more cinematic than football used to be. And with so many cameras around you, players these days are leaning more and more towards eye-catching and conspicuous celebrations.

Ronaldo’s iconic siuu celebration is already popular all over the world. The ‘sliding on your chest with the whole team’ celebration after a big win is almost a tradition now. As is the Brazilian samba dance. The ‘Viking Clap’ inspired by Viking war drums won our hearts in the last World Cup. But most modern players are going for unique gimmicks that get the press as well as the fans equally excited. Paulo Dybala’s ‘Dybalamask celebration’ and Haaland’s ‘meditation celebrations’ are just two examples.

A lot of footballers will frame photos of special moments or goals from a game. Some frame the match ball if they were lucky enough to earn it; some frame jerseys as a reminder of their own contribution to a crucial match. Some players will get a new haircut following a victory, some will take part in a photoshoot. But whatever they do, most players do not get carried away in their commemoration because they are highly trained professionals. And more importantly, because football is rather cruel and you will be judged by your mistakes rather than your contributions.

As fans, we love to see these celebrations. and often try to recreate them ourselves. Sure, it’s not as glamorous as theirs but it’s close enough.