What are these strange football celebrations?
Many football stars are big fans of anime. They often show it off on their social media, in their clothes, and even on the football field. A few years back, celebrations like these were mostly seen in the Japanese league, but now it's a popular thing even in Europe.
Here are some players and the meaning of their celebration.
Ibrahim Konate
The Liverpool defender is a fan of Dragon Ball, Demon Slayer and Attack on Titan anime, judging by his Twitter feed.
The main character of the latter, Eren Yeager, inspired Konate to celebrate a goal against Manchester United at Wembley in 2022, and after the match, the footballer published the iconic phrase of the character on social networks - "Shinzou Wo Sasageyo" which means "Dedicate your Hearts."
Harvey Elliot and Mason Mount
Harvey Elliott channelled popular anime television show Dragon Ball Z as he celebrated Liverpool's injury-time winner against Crystal Palace.
Amidst the team's celebrations, the 20-year-old midfielder stepped aside. He playfully shaped his hands like a ball and mimicked shaking it. With a swift move, he gestured toward the crowd, imitating the famous 'power ball' from Dragon Ball Z.
In Chelsea's victory over Liverpool in 2021, Mason Mount was the only one who scored. One of the most discussed moments of the game was his celebration with Ben Chilwell. He did similar to Elliot's move from Dragon Ball Z.
Julian Brandt and Karim Adeyemi
Julian Brandt has some strange celebrations, especially in pair with Karim Adeyemi. These poses are references to one of the most popular anime series in the world - "One Piece".
There are many stars in the football community who are fanas of this anime: Paul Pogba, Serge Gnabry, Kurt Zouma, Bakary Sako, Karim Adeyemi and many others. But the main ambassador of "One Piece" in football, without a doubt, is Julian Brandt.
Julian has celebrated his goals in the style of the anime hero - Trafalgar Law. Brandt once performed this celebration in collaboration with Adeyemi who portrayed the main character of "One Piece" Luffy, who in the original manga formed an alliance with Trafalgar Law.
Aubameyang
Aubameyang is also a fan of the mentioned Dragon Ball Z anime. When he scored for his former club Barcelona in El Clasico, he celebrated holding a "dragon's heart" in his hand and placing two fingers on his forehead - this technique means teleportation.
Later, the footballer explained that he dedicated the Real Madrid goal to his grandparents, who are no longer alive. In this way, he showed that he misses them and would like them to come back and be near him.
