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It takes a special kind of character to pull off a pre-planned
goal celebration - especially when the target is the team's own
manager. But that is exactly what Jimmy Bullard and his Hull City
team-mates achieved to great effect at Manchester City on
Saturday.
In last season's game at Eastlands, after 45 minutes Hull were
already 4-0 down. Furious manager Phil Brown had dragged his team
over towards the Hull City support, and proceeded to give his
half-time team talk on the pitch, in the hope that the
embarrassment would provoke a response.
Eleven months later, Bullard converted a second-half
penalty to seal a 1-1 draw at the same ground - indeed the
same end of the same ground - and celebrated by
sitting his team-mates down in the same spot and wagging his finger
at each one.
"We decided to do it last night," explained Bullard after the
game. "He [Phil Brown] took it well.
"It was a bit of banter to do it if we scored a goal, and we
agreed that whoever scored an equaliser or winning goal had to be
the one who did the pointing.
"I think Paul McShane will be the one to take the flak for
it."
But how does Hull's effort stack up against the other great
pre-planned celebrations of modern times? Goal.com
UK takes a look at the best of the bunch: some are
outrageous, some touching, and others downright cheeky.
Jurgen Klinsmann (Sheffield Wednesday v TOTTENHAM,
1992)
When the German arrived at White Hart Lane, he brought with him
a reputation for all too quickly going to ground. Football fans all
over the world still remembered his part in Argentina's Pedro
Monzon becoming the first player ever to be sent off in a World Cup
final. Klinsmann first leaped over the challenge, then dived
again after hitting the ground.
On his arrival in London, many fans thought he was simply
overrated, at Spurs for the money, and likely to spend more time on
the floor than scoring goals.
Instead what they got was a genuine superstar, a striker who
covered every blade of grass and went on to become a Tottenham
legend.
On his debut away to Sheffield Wednesday, after announcing his
arrival with a clinical finish, Klinsmann showed the Germans do
have a sense of humour by diving across the pitch on his belly,
followed by his team-mates, a celebration that was to become his
trademark.
Craig Bellamy (Barcelona v LIVERPOOL, 2007)
In the days when Rafa Benitez had Liverpool feared around
Europe, they headed to the imposing Camp Nou ready for battle with
Barcelona, only for the players to end up battling each other.
The team were staying in a Portugese hotel as they limbered up
for the clash, and as if to prove that karaoke is a dangerous
past-time, Craig Bellamy and John Arne Riise were nearly doing a
duet of 'Murder on the dancefloor.'
As a heated argument ensued, apparently after Riise's refusal to
take the microphone and croon to Bellamy on stage, the Welshman
ended the evening by reportedly threatening Riise with a golf
club.
He earned an £80,000 fine for his foul play, but went a large
way to making amends when he proceeded to score in a 2-1 win over
Barcelona, and celebrated by showing everyone just how
good his golf swing is.
Gordon Strachan (SCOTLAND v West Germany, World Cup
86)
The rage during the 1986 World Cup tournament when goals had
been scored was to hurdle the advertising boards.
However, for someone as short as Gordon Strachan, that was
always going to prove a slight problem. Nevertheless, he and
Charlie Nicholas had sworn to each other that they would do it if
either of them scored, with Strachan joking he half-expected to
fall into a moat on the other side.
Therefore, when the wee ginger terrier scored for Scotland
against Germany in the heat of Mexico 86, he ran to the hoardings,
which in truth looked bigger than him, before stopping and
instead resting his right leg on top of it, looking at his
team-mates as if to say “What did you expect?”
Ian Wright (WEST HAM v Southampton, September
1998)
A week before, volatile Italian Paulo Di Canio had reacted to a
red card by pushing referee Paul Alcock, whose theatrical fall to
the ground would put the likes of Eduardo and David Ngog to
shame.
Never one to miss a trick, Ian Wright celebrated his goal by
being pushed in the chest by Neil Ruddock, before falling comically
to the floor.
Peter Crouch (ENGLAND v Jamaica, 2006)
The gangly frame of Peter Crouch has always been a reason to
poke fun at the towering forward, with the England striker himself
answering the question “What would you be if you were not a
footballer?” with the answer “A virgin.”
In the lead-up to the 2006 World Cup, Crouch had entertained his
fellow players at a pre-finals party hosted by David Beckham by
showing off his dance moves.
As Crouch hit the back of the net in England colours, he let the
world in on his party piece, treating laughing fans to his own take
of the robotic dance.
The celebration was such a hit that he was urged to do it time
and time again, until it even received the royal seal of approval –
Prince William could not help but ask Crouch to re-enact the dance
when he met up with the England squad.
Paul Gascoigne (ENGLAND v Scotland, Euro
96)
Euro 96, football's coming home. The pressure was on England big
time to produce at the very least a long run in the tournament, and
with Holland and old foes Scotland in their group they were not
going to get it easy.
Manager Terry Venables took the squad to the Far East to escape
the media, however only served to give the press headlines for the
front page rather than the back.
A dentist chair, tequila, and England internationals don't mix
well, and it wasn't quite what England expected from their boys on
their travels to Hong Kong.
As the media circus rounded on England, critics weren't exactly
answered in empathic style as they laboured to a 1-1 draw in the
opening match against Switzerland. A first 45 minutes against
Scotland hadn't gone to plan either, and despite Alan Shearer's
early second half goal, the world fell in on England when Scotland
were awarded a penalty.
Anguish turned to wild celebration though as Gary
McAllister's penalty was saved by David Seaman, and moments
later Paul Gascoigne scored what was later voted the greatest goal
ever at old Wembley, lobbing Colin Hendry and hammering the ball
low past Andy Goram.
Gazza, ever the joker, pointed at the water bottle lying nearby,
and his team-mates knew what to do, spraying the contents onto a
prone Geordie happily re-enacting the dentist chair.
Bebeto (BRAZIL v Holland, USA 94)
At the ripe old age of 30, baby faced Bebeto had managed only
eight minutes of World Cup football before the tournament started,
against Costa Rica in Italia 90.
USA 94 therefore was his chance to emerge from the shadows.
The tournament was to be a happy one for Bebeto and his country,
lifting the famous trophy for the first time in six attempts. To
add to the joy, days before the quarter-final with the Netherlands,
the ten stone Brazilian striker became a father for the third
time.
When he then scored against the Dutch, the pint-sized striker
ran to the corner, swinging his arms as if cradling a baby, before
his team-mates joined him. If anything, the cutest celebration
there's ever been.
Facundo Sava (FULHAM v Charlton, 2002)
A lot of footballers wish they could be someone else on the
pitch. Most wish they were Diego Maradona, others dream of
scoring like Pele, and perhaps maybe one or two fancy themselves as
Robbie Savage.
However, not many strut around the pitch wishing to be
Zorro.
After Facundo Sava blasted the ball into the net against
Charlton, the Fulham striker stunned everyone by rolling down his
socks, pulling out a face mask, and running around the pitch with
it planted on his face. Fans did not know whether to cheer or
laugh.
The Argentine later revealed the tradition had started in his
homeland, where fans at Gimnasia would throw masks onto the pitch
for players to wear every time they scored.
“I have 250 masks,” he once said. “I could only bring one with
me.”
Cesc Fabregas (Everton v ARSENAL,
2009)
When Espanyol captain Daniel Jarque died suddenly from a heart
attack at the age of 26 this pre-season, Spain was plunged into
deep mourning.
On the opening day of the season, as Arsenal demolished Everton
6-1, Cesc Fabregas celebrated his second goal of the game by
holding up an Arsenal shirt with No.21 and Jarque printed on it. A
touching tribute to his fellow Barcelona native and former Spain
under-21 team-mate.
Papa Bouba Diop (France v SENEGAL, WC 2002)
Senegal were meant to be the lightweights of the 2002 World Cup,
and as they lined up against the holders France in the opening
match, not many predicted a shock result.
Once a former French colony, Senegal were playing in their
first ever World Cup match, and what a start they made, defeating
the World champions through Papa Bouba Diop's strike.
No normal celebration would do, and after Diop prodded the ball
home from close range, he ran to the corner flag, laid his shirt
down on the floor, and led his team-mates in a dance around the
garment.