You know a celebration is too wacky when Neal Maupay says so.
The Brentford striker is known for his antics on the pitch and the way he takes down other players – more on that later. So when Manchester United winger Antony covered his ears to celebrate their FA Cup penalty shootout victory over Coventry City (after United had taken a 3-0 lead into regular half-time). final), Maupay had something to say.
“Just for the record, even I wouldn’t do that,” the Frenchman wrote on social media.
Just for the record, even I wouldn’t do that 😭
– Neal Maupay (@nealmaupay_) April 23, 2024
Antony later posted and deleted an explanation of the celebration, saying “the way our fans were treated by their player was not nice” and that he had acted “in the heat of the moment.” United boss Erik ten Hag has branded criticism of his team “embarrassing”.
But the Brazilian’s actions made us think about the celebrations the players will have regretted. Here, our writers select five of the most memorable. Suggest yours in the comments, because this list is far from exhaustive.
Joshua Kimmich against Sadio Mane (Champions League round of 16, February 2019)
Joshua Kimmich, what have you done?
Puffed up by a tackle he made on Mané late in the Champions League round of 16 between Liverpool and Bayern Munich in 2019, the German international roared in Mané’s ear.
The Senegalese winger reacted with an awkward but sly smile that seemed to say: “Did he really just do that?”
This gave Bayern a 0-0 draw at Anfield. It also gave Mane extra motivation for the second leg at the Allianz Arena.
Mane had to bide his time for revenge and got it in the sweetest way by scoring the goal that best sums up his Liverpool career. Kimmich, Mané’s future teammate at Bayern, could do nothing to stop him this time. Indeed, he was suspended after receiving a yellow card in the first leg.
But who’s to say Kimmich could have done anything? Mane easily surfed around his replacement Rafinha and goalkeeper Manuel Neuer after slotting home a kicked pass from Virgil van Dijk to score one of Liverpool’s greatest goals en route to Jurgen Klopp’s side lifting the trophy in June.
The moment Joshua Kimmich found himself facing him, Sadio Mané knew what he had to do…
– Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) March 14, 2019
Caoimhe O’Neill
Steve Morrow v Tony Adams (League Cup final, 1993)
A joke was passed around my school playground in 1993: “What’s the difference between Jesus and Steve Morrow?” Jesus did not fall off the donkey.
The ‘donkey’ of the joke was Tony Adams – these were less enlightened times – and the punchline came during a disastrous celebration in that year’s League Cup final.
Morrow had scored the winner for Arsenal against Sheffield Wednesday and, after the final whistle, Adams attempted to carry the match winner on his shoulders.
Then he dropped it.
🗓 #This day in 1993: A memorable afternoon for Steve Morrow…
Winner of the score in the League Cup final 🏆
Broke his arm during full-time celebrations 🤕 pic.twitter.com/apOK1P1Ffd–Arsenal (@Arsenal) April 18, 2019
Suddenly, Morrow was lying on the field, his arm pointed in a direction that wasn’t quite the right direction. The oxygen mask is out. And a stretcher. While Morrow was taken to hospital with a broken arm, Adams lifted the trophy at Wembley.
Morrow was out of action for around six months and missed Arsenal’s FA Cup final victory a few weeks later. He later said that Adams “could be a bit clumsy at times”.
But they didn’t fall out. A year later, they played together in the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup final against Parma, which Arsenal won. The difference between Jesus and Steve Morrow? Jesus has never won a medal in the Cup Winners’ Cup.
Andrew Hankinson
Sergio Ramos v Sevilla (La Liga, January 2017)
He is now back in Sevilla and has reconciled with the supporters of his hometown club, but there was a time when Sergio Ramos did not have the best relationship with the supporters at the Ramon Sánchez Pizjuan stadium.
Ramos rose through the ranks at Sevilla before leaving for Real Madrid in 2005. This upset Sevilla fans and especially their ultras – known as “Biris Norte” – who never understood his sale and the have always blamed. This led to the centre-back being whistled and jeered every time he played there as a visitor, with insults aimed at him and his family.
GO FURTHER
Ramos vs Real Madrid: Jostles and smiles as defender returns to center stage
It all came to a head in a La Liga encounter in January 2017, when Ramos scored a Panenka penalty for Madrid at Sevilla.
Before taking it, south end Sánchez Pizjuan – where the ultras are – called him a “son of an ab****”, so Ramos confronted them after scoring the penalty. First, he pointed to the name on the back of his shirt. He then apologized to the rest of the stadium to clarify that he was not targeting them, before putting his hands over his ears and motioning for the ultras to shout louder, as if he was not listening.
Ramos would leave Madrid for Paris Saint-Germain in 2021 before joining Sevilla on a free transfer two years later. His apology to fans later suggested he regretted his actions.
“I made mistakes and I want to take this opportunity to apologize in the first person and ask for forgiveness from the Sevilla fans who felt offended by the actions I made at that time.” , did he declare.
“We are all in this together, we are all the same family and we have too many people outside the club for us to fight.”
Guillermo Rai
Neal Maupay v Tottenham Hotspur (Premier League, January 2024)
Maupay joined Brentford on loan from Everton last summer to provide initial cover while Ivan Toney served an eight-month ban for breaching betting rules. During his second spell in west London he scored some important goals – but will be best remembered for his opponents constantly falling behind.
There was the bizarre incident between Maupay and goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez when Brentford faced Aston Villa in December, but the standout moment came when Thomas Frank’s side faced Tottenham Hotspur a month later.
GO FURTHER
Neal Maupay: royalty among Premier League liquidation dealers
Maupay put Brentford ahead in the 15th minute and imitated James Maddison’s darts-inspired celebration. The Frenchman continued to be a threat for the rest of the half and sparked a wave of anger from the opposition. Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou probably didn’t even bother to give a half-time team talk. The entire stadium was united in its desire to wipe the smirk off Maupay’s face.
Eight minutes after the break, Spurs blasted Brentford to lead 3-1. Brennan Johnson, who Brentford had tried to sign on several occasions, scored Spurs’ second goal, looked in Maupay’s direction and started the dart celebration to rub salt in the wound.
Perhaps in the future he should give up his gloating until he gets closer to the full-time whistle.
Jay Harris
Joel against… his own stadium (Brasileirao, September 2014)
At the Couto Pereira Stadium in Coritiba, the route from the changing rooms to the pitch is via a concrete staircase behind one of the goals – a fact that Coritiba players would reasonably be expected to know.
But the mind can drift when the ecstasy of scoring a goal strikes, as it did for striker Joel in 2014. After scoring against Sao Paulo, he jumped over the advertising board and landed on… well, a big chunk of cool air, followed by the ground, three meters below where he expected.
Brazilian soccer fans went all out, adding Mario music and all kinds of other gags to the footage. Luckily, Joel escaped unscathed – but the same probably couldn’t be said for his ego.
Jack Lang
(Top photos: Getty Images)