It was 14 years ago this week that Emmanuel Adebayor went down in history for one of the craziest goal celebrations football has ever seen, running the entire length of the pitch to celebrate his goal for Manchester City in front of the fans of his former club Arsenal.
But Adebayor is far from alone in being remembered for an iconic goal celebration. Here are five more of the maddest goal celebrations in Premier League history…
Temuri Ketsbaia goes nuts – 1998
Newcastle United midfielder Temuri Ketsbaia is most remembered by those on Tyneside for his bizarre goal celebration after scoring the winner in a game against Bolton back in 1998.
Ketsbaia was said to have been frustrated at being left on the bench for the game, and when he netted late on after coming on as a substitute he let his frustration be known by ripping off his shirt and booting the advertising boards around the pitch.
It is still, to this day, one of the most memorable goal celebrations in English football history but not necessarily for the right reasons.
Mario Balotelli’s ‘why always me?’ – 2011
Back in 2011, Manchester City hammered rivals Manchester United 6-1 at Old Trafford, but while the result has gone down in history as one of the biggest derby victories in the Premier League era, it is Balotelli’s goal celebration for his opener that is arguably more talked about.
The Italian striker often made back page headlines in the English press thanks to his wide range of antics which included setting off fireworks from his window and being pulled over by the police while having £25,000 in cash in his car.
This prompted Balotelli to unveil a message beneath his shirt which read ‘why always me?’ after scoring a crucial first goal for City as they cruised to victory, a reference to his continued presence in media conversation.
Embed from Getty ImagesJimmy Bullard’s team talk – 2009
After watching his Hull City side concede four first-half goals against Manchester City in the 2008/09 season, manager Phil Brown took the unusual step of giving his players a very public telling off in front of the supporting away fans, instead of the changing room.
This would inspire one of the funniest goal celebrations the Premier League has seen. When midfielder Jimmy Bullard equalised for Hull in the same fixture the following season, he imitated his manager by gathering the players around in a circle and pretending to tell them off.
Luckily for him, his boss saw the funny side of the incident as his side hung on to draw the game.
Wayne Rooney’s knock out punch – 2015
The scorer of 208 Premier League goals, Rooney also makes it onto the list of the craziest goal celebrations for his 2015 effort in a 3-0 win over Tottenham.
Rooney had been in the press the day before the game after he was filmed boxing friend and former United defender Phil Bardsley at his home, with the striker taking a fairly hefty blow which sent him to the ground.
The former England captain made light of the situation by shadow boxing and pretending to be knocked out after netting in the victory.
Luis Suarez dives in front of David Moyes – 2012
The Merseyside derby is always a feisty affair, but perhaps more so than usual back in 2012 at Goodison Park.
After Everton manager David Moyes had been highly critical of Liverpool forward Luis Suarez’s “diving” before the game, the Uruguayan made his feelings about the comments well known after putting his side in front, running towards the dugout and diving to the floor in front of the Scotsman.
Luckily for Moyes, the game would go on to finish 2-2 as neither side claimed local bragging rights.
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