Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo has replaced his iconic “Siuuu” celebration for a new one, which is being copied by athletes around the world.
It has been a tough few months for the football legend, with the striker falling out of favour under Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag and being dropped from the first team after refusing to come on as a substitute against Tottenham Hotspur.
But the ex-Real Madrid and Juventus star was back to his scoring ways in the Europa League against Sherrif Tiraspol, with United winning 3-0 at Old Trafford on Friday the 28th of October.
The striker scored the team’s third goal nine minutes from time, but as Ronaldo ran to the corner flag for his celebration, the signature pirouette and “siuuu” was nowhere to be seen.
Instead, Ronaldo pointed to the crowd as he ran towards them, then stood upright, with his head back and eyes closed. His hands were clasped in front of his chest in a sleeping-like pose.
This mirrors the celebration he performed against Everton in the Premier League earlier in October, when Ronaldo scored his 700th club goal.
What does Ronaldo’s new celebration mean?
Manchester United explained what the five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s new celebration was on their official website.
They explained, “We can now reveal that Ronaldo’s celebration was a self-deprecating in-joke with this fellow team-mates, highlighting the strong bonds among the players in Erik ten Hag’s squad.”
The celebration is an impersonation of the way in which the striker sleeps when he is travelling with the Man Utd squad.
All the work on the training pitch and in the gym is clearly very tiring, with Ronaldo supposedly napping several times a day to aid in his recovery.
Ronaldo celebration copycats
Cristiano Ronaldo’s new celebration has already caught on with athletes across the world, with everyone from the Palmeiras women’s team in Brazil, to Sheffield Wednesday players in England copying the celebration.
But it’s not just footballers.
In the T20 Cricket World Cup being held in Australia, South African fast bowler Wayne Parnell was spotted doing the celebration in a match against India.
Speaking of the celebration, he said, “I’ve always been a big Cristiano Ronaldo fan.”
“One thing I’ve always liked is his resilience and that’s something that I’ve always taken on as well.”
If the ‘Siuuu’ celebration is anything to go by, expect to see this celebration on every night out you go on for the next few months.
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