Top 10 football players to score & celebrate against their former club

Published at :April 17, 2024 at 7:03 PM

Modified at :April 17, 2024 at 7:03 PM

Some famous football players celebrated against their previous sides

There is nothing quite like when a player faces up against their former clubs, However, watching a rival player score against your own club is very common in the game and when the rival player formerly played for your club it can disappoint you as a football fan. However, watching them celebrate without a care in the world, taunting his former club and the fanbase with his new teammates can feel like a dagger through the chest before a fiery rage engulfs every cell in your body. There have been many times when players have gone overboard and let their emotions get the better of them.

Some players respect everything the former club did for them and refuse to celebrate in front of the fans. But there are also some players who whenever score against their former club use this opportunity to mock them. Here we look at the top 10 players who scored and celebrated against their former side:

10. Mauro Icardi: For Inter Milan vs Sampdoria

The Argentine helped his team Inter Milan to beat Sampdoria in a one-sided match in which Inter won by 5-0. Among those five goals, four of them were scored by Mauro Icardi and after every goal he celebrated against his former team. Icardi originally made his Serie A debut with Sampdoria and after a two-year spell, he went on to join Inter Milan. This was the match in which Icardi scored his 100th goal in Serie A.

9. Sergio Ramos: For Real Madrid vs Sevilla

Sergio Ramos is very well known for controversies and often makes the headlines for all the wrong reasons. As brilliant as he can be on the field, his performances are often tainted by acts of aggression. After joining Real Madrid from Sevilla, the Sevilla fans didn’t take too kindly to the transfer and have always given Sergio Ramos a hard time during fixtures between the two.

In a thrilling 3-3 draw in the Copa Del Rey, a penalty was awarded to Real Madrid. Ramos stepped up to take the penalty and very calmly scored a Panenka down the middle and into the back of the net. After scoring he simply cupped his ears and faced the home crowd as a goal celebration. After this incident, there was much public fallout after this game.

8. Glen Johnson: For Liverpool vs Chelsea

Glen Johnson will always be known as the first player to be brought by Chelsea in the Roman Abramovich era and had been regularly getting games at the start of his Chelsea career, after some troubles, he accepted a bid from Liverpool in 2009 and he moved to Anfield where he became a key member of the squad. In 2011 he had the opportunity to prevent his former club from gaining an advantage in the title race as he scored a winner against his former club and celebrated, Liverpool won that match.

7. Zlatan Ibrahimovic: For AC Milan vs Inter Milan

No surprises here that Zlatan is on this list, the Swedish won and converted the penalty which helped his team beat his old side. The Inter Milan fans weren’t happy with Ibrahimovic’s decision to join the rivals AC Milan. Supporters voiced their anger and disappointment at his reappearance in Milan, but Zlatan answered the fans in his own way. This win was very crucial as AC Milan won that year’s scudetto by six points, leaving Inter in second.

6. James Milner: For Liverpool vs Manchester City

Milner was one of the most loyal servants for Manchester City and when he entered the final year of his contract there were no assurances that he would be a starter and then he left the club to join Liverpool. He was made the club’s vice-captain and finally, Milner got his revenge when Liverpool faced City at Anfield. He scored against his former side in which Liverpool won the game by 3-0. His goal celebration was a bit aggressive which saw him vent out his frustration and election at the same time.

5. Emmanuel Adebayor: For Manchester City vs Arsenal

Fans were not at all happy after Abdebayor’s transfer to Manchester City and he was criticised a lot for this transfer, but when Manchester City faced the Gunners he scored a goal and he celebrated the goal by running the full length of the pitch before sliding in front of the Arsenal fans in the away section.

He said, “I scored and wanted to show people it is not a good idea to abuse me. I didn’t understand it at all. I was running on pure emotion and when you take emotion out of football we are going to have a big problem”.

4. David Luiz: For PSG vs Chelsea

The Brazillian centre-back won the Premier League, FA Cup, Europa League and Champions League during his first spell at Stamford Bridge and departed for a new adventure with PSG in 2014 for £50 million. He won all four domestic trophies during his first season for PSG and in 2015 he would meet his former club Chelsea in the Champions League round of 16. In the second leg of this fixture he scored a goal in the 86th minute and by the away goal rule the side from France won this match by eliminating Chelsea.

Luiz celebrated the goals which he scored against his former team, he said, “It was good for me to score. I said before I didn’t celebrate but there as so much emotion I cannot control and sorry because I celebrated because of the emotion but I am so happy to qualify.”

3. Danny Welbeck: For Arsenal vs Manchester United

Danny Welbeck was not happy when the Red Devils signed Radamel Falcao and Angel Di Maria as he left the side from Manchester and joined their rival Arsenal. Welbeck had a decent first season at the Emirates, The Gunners won the FA Cup that season but Welbeck scored one of the most crucial goals in the Quarter Final of the FA Cup against his former side United. That winning goal was very crucial for Arsenal as they defeated their arch-rival. Welbeck celebrated the goal which he scored and let his emotions come out fully.

2. Ousmane Dembele: For PSG vs Barcelona

Ousmane Dembele was one of the reasons for Barcelona’s exit from the UCL Quarter Final. PSG knocked out the Catalan side by a 4-6 aggregate scoreline. Dembele scored goals in both legs of the final and also celebrated both goals which he scored against his former club in which he spent six years. Barcelona fans showed their anger and frustration on social media as well as on the field. Whenever he was touching the ball the fans were booing him very strongly.

1. Robin van Persie: For Manchester United vs Arsenal

He had lost faith in Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal project and moved on to a club that matched his ambitions. He landed in Manchester and wore the famous red jersey of Manchester United. Van Persie would score against Arsenal more than once and while he would not celebrate at the Emirates Stadium, he couldn’t hold back when he scored at Old Trafford in his second season. The boos from the Arsenal fans saw him get frustrated and finally, after scoring a goal for United he celebrated against his former team. This goal helped Manchester United to win against their arch-rival in Old Trafford.

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