The ink on Viktor Gyokeres’ contract may barely be dry following the striker’s arrival from Arsenal, but it’s clear his iconic celebration is already catching on amongst young fans in this country.
The Gunners put an end to months of speculation as they announced that they had captured Gyokeres, 27, for a fee believed to be in the region of £55m – plus £8.5m in add-ons – at the weekend.
The Sweden international has signed a five-year deal at the Emirates and takes over the No.14 shirt in north London, famously worn by club legend Thierry Henry.
Having joined up with Mikel Arteta’s squad in Singapore on Sunday, Gyokeres could have the perfect opportunity to make an immediate impression in the next match of Arsenal’s pre-tour against Tottenham on Thursday.
While Arteta has refused to confirm whether or not Gyokeres will be involved, the attacker will surely be itching to get on the field against Arsenal’s bitter rivals and, better still, perform his trademark goal celebration – thought to be a nod to Bane, Batman’s nemesis in The Dark Knight Rises.
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As last season wore on, Sporting fans reveled in performing the hands-over-the-face gesture whenever Gyokeres found the back of the net, which happened rather a lot, with the forward scoring 54 goals in 52 games.
And while Manchester United’s failed pursuit of Gyokeres was well-documented, it didn’t stop Kai Rooney, son of Wayne, from copying the celebration as the Red Devils’ Under-16 team ran out 3-0 winners over West Cork Academy on Monday.
Rooney, 15, who bears a frightening resemblance to his old man when in full flow, provided the assist for Sam O’Brien’s opening goal before doubling United’s advantage from the penalty spot just before half-time.
Having safely converted his effort from 12 yards, the teenager was pictured jogging towards the touchline before locking both of his hands in front of his mouth in tribute to Arsenal’s new addition.
Bassirou Nkoto added a brilliant third in the second half to put United out of sight in the one-sided SuperCupNI contest, where United are also grouped with Rangers and Co Tyrone.
Speaking to Arsenal’s official website after signing on the dotted line, Gyokeres explained how his celebration first came about.
‘Before I got it, my friends were always saying to me to find my own celebration because they were very tired of me doing all kinds of stuff when I was celebrating,’ the Swede said.
‘I had some time off. We went on vacation together.
‘During that time, we came up with it after a while. We thought it looked good and I started doing it straightaway. It felt even better on the pitch.’
Back in June 2024, Gyokeres appeared to confirm the celebrations true origins with a post on his Instagram page.
‘Nobody cared until I put on the mask,’ the message read, a clear nod to the character Bane in Christopher Nolan’s popular movie series.
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