From Eurosport:
Manchester United winger Nani caused a few palpitations on the
bench when he launched into an acrobatic goal celebration after
scoring against Shenzhen in a recent friendly.
Nani be warned; somersaults are a risky business. One false move
can leave you looking a fool and facing months on the treatment
table, a fate that befell Babayaro after finding the net in a
pre-season game for Chelsea against mighty Stevenage; the Nigerian
slipped and broke his leg. LuaLua knew the dangers during
Portsmouth's battle against relegation in 2005 and vowed to
celebrate sensibly until Pompey were safe. He broke his promise
after scoring against Arsenal, and his tumbling antics resulted in
a sprained ankle.
- Martin Palermo -
Cruel fate always seemed to intercede whenever Palermo appeared to
be on the brink of greatness. This is the man who once missed three
penalties in the same Copa America match in 1999, and in the same
year suffered a cruciate knee injury. When he finally got to La
Liga, things got even worse when he marked a goal for Villarreal in
2001 by jumping on a concrete wall separating the stands from the
pitch. The wall collapsed, breaking both the tibia and fibula in
Palermo's left leg.
- Shaun Goater -
erybody remembers Temuri Ketsbaia's frankly insane goal celebration
for Newcastle, when he kicked an advertising hoarding to within an
inch of its life. At least the Georgian escaped unscathed, which is
more than can be said for Manchester City's Shaun Goater, who
knacked his knee kicking a hoarding in the aftermath of a Nicolas
Anelka goal during the 2002/03 season. That's right, it wasn't even
his goal. Earlier in his career, Goater broke his arm celebrating a
goal against Stoke City.
- Steve Morrow -
Morrow's misfortune is possibly the only example of a career being
wrecked by a celebration. The Northern Irishman scored the winner
for Arsenal against Sheffield Wednesday in the 1993 League Cup
final - his first and only goal for the club. After the game,
Gunners captain Tony Adams lifted the hero aloft, at least for a
couple of seconds, before losing his balance (a fairly common
occurrence at the time) and dropping Morrow, who broke his arm and
was never the same player again. He now coaches MLS side FC
Dallas.
- Hernan Crespo -
Crespo's thigh strain, suffered in this summer's Copa America, was
not exactly a result of a celebration, but it was pretty
embarrassing nonetheless. The Internazionale man belted home a
penalty for Argentina against Colombia, but in so doing injured
himself and was mobbed by team-mates while standing, anguished, on
one leg. It should have been a special moment for the striker, as
it was the goal that took him past Diego Maradona in the list of
all-time scorers for Argentina.
- Paulo Diogo -
Perhaps the most harrowing of all self-inflicted injuries belongs
to Paulo Diogo, who scored for Swiss side Servette against
Schaffhausen in 2004 (a game always sure to get pulses racing). The
midfielder leapt onto the advertising hoardings and grabbed the
fence separating him from the crowd. On dismounting, his wedding
ring got caught on the metal railings and ripped half his finger
off. The Swiss referee, a stickler for both the rules and national
stereotype, booked Diogo for excessive celebration.
