Why do Soccer Players Slide on their Knees

All players, team staff, and fans derive extreme pleasure when a goal is scored in football or any other sport. Most celebrations are performed or acted out by the goal scorer and involve teammates, supporters, the team manager, or the coaching staff. A goal celebration describes specific actions such as a player performing an acrobatic routine or removing their jersey. A celebration is more significant in low-scoring sports like ice hockey and football, where the scorer directly impacts the game’s result. Some players such as Pele, Thiery Henry, and Ronaldo have been immortalized on postage stamps, statues, and advertisements for their unique celebrations. Numerous more players have been featured in video games and magazine covers. So, what are some of the greatest ways a player celebrates on the field after scoring some points?

The Knee Slide

In this celebration, the scorer of the goal slides on their knees. It is trendy and is widely performed by football players all over the world. According to Soccer Blade, some of the heated duels happen when bitter rivals meet. This passion was exhibited by Thierry Henry when he scored one of the best goals ever witnessed in a London derby at Highbury. In his team’s half, Henry picked up the ball, ran through the opponent’s defense, and placed it into the net. Thierry Henry performed the knee slide celebration in front of the Spurs fans. He was immortalized with an Emirates Stadium statue.

Rocking a Baby

In the rocking, a baby celebration, the goal scorer rocks their arms from side to side as if they are rocking a baby. This celebration signifies that the player has recently become a parent. Bebeto, a Brazilian striker, was most famous for this celebration after scoring a goal in the 1994 Fifa World Cup quarterfinals.

Acrobatics

Some players do an acrobatic routine after a goal such as a backflip; it is popular with African players from Nigeria such as Aghahowa at the 2002 World Cup and Lomana LuaLua at Portsmouth. The Gabonese striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is known to celebrate in this way both at Dortmund and now at Arsenal Football Club in the Premier League.

Dancing

Some players opt to dance after they score a goal. They are then generally joined by their teammates. Veteran Cameroonian player, Roger Milla, gained fame in the 1990 World Cup for celebrating his four goals at the corner flag. The premier league players such as Daniel Sturridge and Peter Crouch have also celebrated their goals by dancing, the latter most notable for his robot dances.

Message Under the Shirt

Commonly used by players in the late 90s and early 2000s, the scorer lifted their shirt up to show a concealed message underneath. Romas striker, Francesco Totti, typically celebrated this way after scoring in the derby against Lazio, once with a message translating to ‘he has done them again.’ Players like Romario showed up with different messages every game. Balotelli is famous for his ‘why always me’ message after scoring against bitter rivals in the Manchester derby. However, there is punishment for players who remove their shirts during celebrations.