Getty ImagesBack of the net - celebrations that were bigger than the goals
Whether or not you’re a fan of Stoke City, you'd need a heart of steel to not get all emotional about Peter Crouch scoring against Everton this week. Not only was it the 100th Premier League goal of his career but it also saw the return of 'The Robot'.
Yes the goal celebration that spawned thousands of imitations across the nation’s parks was back - a decade after we’d last witnessed the master at work.
Don't remember it from back in the day? Here he is in 2006 celebrating with his signature move after scoring against Jamaica in an international friendly - look how impressed Frank Lampard and Michael Owen were.
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He knew we’d been desperate to see the return of his old faithful friend and so he obligingly reviewed his moves in his post match interviews, "It was a bit stiff to be honest. It's been 10 years, I think I'll have to retire it. Weddings and parties only now."
‘Stiff’? Maybe. Still as exciting to see 10 years on? Definitely. As these examples show, it's not the first time in football the celebrations have eclipsed the goals…
Ade 'Mr Muscle' Akinbiyi
It was the start of November, back in 2001. Leicester striker Ade Akinbiyi was yet to score that season, in fact he hadn't found the net since April. So when his moment came and he finally broke his duck in the 61st minute, the crowd went wild. So did Ade. Off came the shirt and out came the muscles. He was the football version of The Incredible Hulk.
Mario Balotelli did the same after scoring for Italy v Germany at Euro 2012. It was alright, but it was no Ade Akinbiyi...
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Why always me?
TBF though Mario has had his fair share of great goal celebrations. Who could forget this one?
It came about in 2011 during his stint at Man City. The enigmatic striker had been in the papers for off-the-field reasons in the build-up to this game at Old Trafford - so when he scored against City's rivals, he revealed this question on his shirt.
So, why always Balotelli? We don't know. But one tip would be to not let people set fireworks off in your house and then have to call the fire brigade.
Robbie 'the all-rounder' Keane
Showing that sometimes consistency is the key to a good goal celebration, Irish striker Robbie Keane didn't mess around with his signature moves.
First came the cartwheel... Then the 'roly-poly'... And finally the Wild West-esque gun-toting move...
Roger 'The Wiggle' Milla
Possibly the classiest goal celebration of all time, it's spawned t-shirts, pixel-art, a Lego figure, and a special collectible Subbuteo piece. Not bad for a simple shimmy.
Sadly, after Milla's joyous celebration, Cameroon went out in the quarters to... England. Who themselves went out to West Germany on penalties after Chris Waddle blasted the ball over the bar. Ahh, the emotional roller-coaster that was World Cup Italia '90.
The Icelandic maestros
The salmon fisherman. The bicycle. The human toilet. When it comes to goal celebrations, Icelandic team FC Stjarnan have seen it, done it and got the football shirt. Their celebrations are legendary. In fact, they are so iconic, they had to 'retire' them under the instruction of their manager because they needed to concentrate on their football, not the celebrations. Yet just a few days ago, they returned to the forefront of the celebration scene with the unveiling of their latest move the plank walk.
Prodded in the back by a team-mate until the goal scorer falls into the make-believe water, they're hoping to unveil it when the domestic season kicks off in May.
Jurgen 'Tom Daley' Klinsmann
It's been a rough few days for the German football legend. After managing USA's national team for five years, he's been given his marching orders.
Yet, he can take comfort in the fact that he's a still king when it comes to going on a charm offensive - just take his introduction to the Premier League.
He arrived at Tottenham in the summer of '94, and he knew it would take an almighty amount of effort to win over UK football fans. Why? His reputation for diving. Everyone was pretty sure he would be a big, fat cheater. So how to address this sticky situation?... take the Mick out of yourself.
On 20 August, he made his debut for Spurs when they played Sheffield Wednesday. He scored of course, then celebrated, by doing this...
Yep, he dived, winning everyone over in one self-deprecating move. Well, perhaps not everyone - Sheffield Wednesday fans probably weren't too happy.
Since then this has become a celebration copied by many. Sometimes when players score, other times when they erm, dive...
