7 players who celebrated after scoring against their former clubs
Watching a rival player score against your own club is part and parcel of the game. And when the rival player formerly played for your club it can even deflate you as a football fan. However, watching them celebrate without a care in the world, taunting you with his new teammates can feel like a dagger through the chest before a fiery rage engulfs every cell in your body.
There are the select few who respect everything the former club did for them and refuse to celebrate in front of the fans. There are even those players the fans are happy to see score against their own club just because of the progress one of their own has made in the cut-throat world of professional football.
But every coin has two sides and these players made sure they sent a very clear message when they felt just scoring a goal against their former club was not enough...
1) Robin van Persie: For Manchester United vs Arsenal
After eight seasons and 132 goals at Arsenal, Robin van Persie listened to the ‘little boy inside him’ and decided it was time to move on. He had lost faith in Arsene Wenger’s project and moved on to a club that matched his ambitions.
At the time of his transfer, the Dutchman was in the form of his life having won the Premier League Golden Boot with 30 goals in the 2011/12 seasons. Sir Alex Ferguson whispered the right words and he was soon putting on a Manchester United shirt – the club Arsenal shared a heated Premier League rivalry with ever since Wenger took over.
Van Persie would score against Arsenal more than once. While he would not celebrate at the Emirates, he couldn’t hold back when he scored at Old Trafford in his second season. The boos from the Arsenal fans had spurred him on and expecting a player to stay silent following the vitriol and abuse hurled at him is unfair and impossible.
Known for his magic left foot, it was a header from a set-piece that saw Van Persie score and he reeled away with his arms raised to celebrate with Wayne Rooney.