Signs of the times: The stories behind football's iconic hand sign celebrations

The stadium cheers start building as the striker inches closer and closer to the opposing team’s goal. A swift kick sends the ball flying and into the net; the crowd goes wild. The player is ecstatic, he cheers and throws his hands up into a sign — one that will soon be all over social media feeds, newspapers and magazines.

Most footballers have one, or two, hand signs that they use on-field, one that becomes their trademark for their professional career. Some have personal meanings, some are a taunt to the opposing team’s fans and some are tributes to their country.

Bruno Fernandes, Portugal

A direct tribute to his daughter who used to playfully cover her ears and pretend not to listen whenever her parents asked her to do something like clean up her toys.

Virgil Van Dijk, Netherlands

His chin-wave celebration is reported to have been inspired after a video on social media, where his daughter pulls the exact same pose after beating him in a game of football.

Lamine Yamal, Spain

The 19-year-old makes a ‘304’ sign, which represents the last three digits of the postal code for Rocafonda, the neighbourhood in Spain where he was raised.

Enzo Fernández, Argentina

Fernández performs his ‘Topo Gigio’ gesture — which is inspired by an Italian puppet character who would cup his ears in the same way — by placing his hands behind his ears. It is generally interpreted as ‘I can hear you’ or ‘Talk louder now’ and aimed at critics, opposing fans or anyone who doubted the player.

Jamal Musiala, Germany

Musiala’s ‘three to the dome’ gesture was actually a popular basketball celebration, which involves tapping three fingers to the side of the head after making a three-point shot. ‘Dome’ is slang for head and the gesture means ‘that’s three points in your face’.

Granit Xhaka, Switzerland

The Swiss player’s gesture is the Albanian double-headed eagle, which is the symbol of Albania’s flag. Because Xhaka and his family have ethnic Kosovar-Albanian heritage, it is a patriotic statement to honour his roots.

Matheus Cunha, Brazil

Crouching low, Cunha’s celebration is a surfing gesture where he paddles out on an imaginary board and then pops up to ‘ride the wave’. As an avid surfer, the celebration is a nod to one of his favourite hobbies.

Leandro Trossard, Belgium

Trossard first debuted this hand sign while playing for Brighton; a pair of ‘goggles’ cupped around his eyes. In media reports, he said that it was for his son, who asked him to do the celebration after watching a superhero video online.

Jude Bellingham, England

Gracing the cover of every social media page, Bellingham’s ‘arms wide’ pose, simple as it is, conveys a sense of joy and openness which reflects his personality, and connection with his fans.

Erling Haaland, Norway

The ‘zen’ pose — a complete switch from his on-field persona — where he sits cross-legged on the pitch is akin to the lotus pose in yoga. He first did the pose during his early years playing in Norway