Kangaroo hoppers put badge-kissers in their place MADRID - What with the cockroach dance, the kangaroo hop and the leapfrog race, Real Madrid's Brazilian players have certainly been working hard on their repertoire of zoological goal celebrations in recent weeks. Although Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, Robinho and Julio Baptista's carefully choreographed routines might not be to everyone's taste, at least some thought has gone into them and most fans would agree they all beat fatuous badge-kissing routines any day of the week. Putting the ball in the back of the net results in delight for one team and despair for the other, but the celebrations that follow can spark even more powerful emotions than the goals themselves. "They acted like circus clowns," was Alaves president Dimitry Piterman's response after watching Ronaldo and company lie on their backs and wave their arms and legs in the air like dying cockroaches during Real's 3-0 victory over his side. Surely Ronaldo's animal impressions are merely a bit of harmless fun? Well, not for all opposition fans and not even for some of his team mates. "They aren't trying to offend anyone," says Real defender Ivan Helguera. "But if I was playing for the opposition I would be pretty upset if I was losing 3-0 and they did it as it would look like they were poking fun at me." Helguera's objections also stem from the fact that the celebrations are exclusive and only involve the four Brazilian players. "Even though one person scores the goal, they should be celebrated by the team," he says. "It is not Ronaldo or Roberto Carlos who wins the game, but the whole team." In many ways the celebrations are less interesting for their comic value than for what they reveal about the psychology of the team itself. The fact that the rest of the players were not invited to the party provides some indication of the extent of the internal divisions at Real - local-born players like Helguera and Raul clearly feeling marginalised by the Brazilian take-over. FRANKLY OFFENSIVE But any offence caused by the Brazilian routines is minimal compared to that generated by Frank Lampard's finger-to-lips reaction after netting a penalty in Chelsea's 4-1 victory over Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday. The England midfielder was pelted with missiles from home supporters and earned himself a booking, while Fernando Torres was given a similar reception when he put his fingers in his ears and stuck his tongue out after scoring at Malaga at the weekend. Some argue that these sorts of celebrations only serve to incite opposition fans to violence and if clubs are punished for the behaviour of their supporters why not the players too. Rather more provocative, however, were the actions of former Valencia player Leandro when he got down on all fours like a dog and raised a leg as if to urinate over Atletico Madrid's ultra fans when he scored at the Calderon some years back or Paul Gascoigne's Loyalist flute-playing at the Old Firm derby. But if many fans hark back to the era of a simple shake of the hands or Pele-style leap in the air, there is little doubt that some of the more modern celebrations have certainly added to the entertainment on the pitch. Renowned for his skill at going to ground in the area German striker Jurgen Klinsman celebrated his first goals for Tottenham Hotspur by diving headlong onto the pitch followed by half his team mates, while Gascoigne and Teddy Sheringham's "dentist chair" routine was a suitably tongue-in-cheek response to footage of their drinking excesses prior to Euro 96. Robbie Fowler's reaction to Everton fans' chants about an alleged cocaine habit was equally inventive, although pretending to snort up the chalk line that marked out the edge of the area may not have been the wisest response. BIZARRE NIBBLE Perhaps most bizarre of all was Francisco Gallardo's decision to take a nibble at Jose Antonio Reyes' genitals when he scored during Sevilla's 4-0 win over Valladolid in 2001. Still it makes a refreshing change from meaningless badge-kissing from soon-to-depart strikers or the egotistical "I'm the man" posing from players looking for lucrative contract renewals. But celebrating goals can also be downright dangerous. A recent study by the American Journal of Sports Medicine said that about six percent of footballing injuries came from post-goal celebrations, with the damage ranging from muscle strains as a result of sliding across the grass to rib fractures from player pile-ups. Argentine striker Martin Palermo, whose other claim to fame is that he missed three penalties in one match, broke his foot and was put out of action for six months after a pitch-side wall fell on him when ran over to celebrate a goal in the King's Cup against Levante in 2001. An even worse fate befell newly married Servette midfielder Paulo Diogo last year when he jumped a metal perimeter fence to salute fans after setting up a goal in a Swiss Super League match. Diogo failed to notice that his wedding ring had got caught in the barrier and when he jumped back down he left the ring, and most of his finger, impaled on the fence. To add insult to injury he was also booked for taking too long over the celebration. For many opposition fans there is a satisfying element of Schadenfreude in such occurrences, for goal scorers they may make them think twice about how they celebrate the next time they hit the back of the net. taken from yahoo sports uk
VonBilly, Thanks for the article, that was a good read! I wonder if any of them will start carrying cell phones or sharpies.
