Except for Mario Balotelli who claims to see no logic in the celebration of goals as he deemed it as a mere execution of a striker’s duty, almost every footballer performs some form of celebration when he scores.
From the somersault acrobatic celebration of the legendary Nigerian footballer, Augustine Agahowa to the globally acclaimed ‘siuu’ celebration of the iconic Cristiano Ronaldo, footballers, since time immemorial have always marked their goal-scoring with unique celebrations.
The reasons behind these celebrations differ. In some cases, players may perform the same celebration style but with different motivations. While there are political and branding motivations behind some celebrations, most players do these things as mere expressions of the innate joy of finding the back of the net.
GhanaWeb today highlights five celebrations by Ghanaian footballers which stood out and gained national and international appeal.
Mohammed Kudus’ ‘taking the seat’
He might not be the originator of the celebration but Kudus has definitely popularized this style and owned it.
The West Ham midfielder has made it a habit to take a seat on the pitch panel whenever he finds the back of the net.
The blistering start to his West Ham career which has seen him score 12 goals in all club competitions in the 2023/2024 season has helped him own this celebration.
Asamoah Gyan’s booty dance
So popular was this dance that years after his exit from Sunderland, fans of the club still remember him for it. The multi-talented Asamoah Gyan invented a dance of his own where he flaps his hands and bounces his ass rhythmically after scoring.
At both club and international level, Asamoah Gyan always had a dance to celebrate his goals but the most popular one might be the booty dance which has been etched in the memories of Sunderland fans.
Gyan unveiled his trademark dance when he scored for Sunderland in a Premier League game against Chelsea in the 2010/2011 season.
Michael Essien and Junior Agogo’s Kangaroo Dance
After the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations held in Ghana, the kangaroo dance became one of the most popular goal celebrations across Africa.
The celebration was birthed when Michael Essien, after connecting to a sweet cross by Sulley Muntari to get a goal for Ghana against Morocco performed the kangaroo dance with his teammates.
It instantly became the trademark celebration for the team with Agogo performing the celebration when he scored against Nigeria in the knockout phase of the tournament.
Dede Ayew’s chest-hitting celebration
In football parlance, that celebration is termed ‘I AM HIM’. While the clapping may be his way of motivating his teammates, the chest-hitting is Andre Ayew’s known goal celebration style.
Whenever he scores, both at club and national team level, Andre Ayew hits his chest multiple times to indicate that he is indeed the scorer of the goal.
Stephen Appiah’s hand around the brain celebration
In an intense World Cup match against the United States of America in 2006, Stephen Appiah stepped up, sent the US goalie the wrong way and unveiled one of the most popular celebrations by a Ghanaian footballer.
After scoring the goal that gave Ghana a 2-1 victory over the US, Appiah did this thing of scratching his palm on the right side of his head which to many is indicative of the brain power or intelligence he used in scoring his goals. In the view of many football fans, the celebration was Appiah’s way of highlighting the mental strength and level of intelligence it required to play at the top level.
The interpretation made logical reasoning as Stephen Appiah was known mainly as a smart player with deft touches and incredible football IQ.
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