Neymar Jr. explains in his autobiography that he had one clear objective after making his debut for Brazilian club Santos. He eagerly awaited his first goal, which came on 15 March 2009, on a Sunday night at the Pafaembu Stadium. The 17-year-old scored the first of his many goals not just for Santos, but his career.
The most expensive footballer of all-time scored his first goal against Mogi Mirim — not a former club, but Neymar describes the sheer excitement it brought.
“Scoring gives you an indescribable feeling. It may be a goal that decides a match, a goal against a rival team, a sole goal in a defeat, a beautiful goal, a clumsy goal, a lucky goal, with the foot, with the head, with anything. There is no such thing as an ugly goal.”
Players not celebrating after scoring, be it against their former teams or not, is football’s worst tradition. It’s an annoying trend that goes back to at least 1974 when Denis Law scored a back-heel for Manchester City against former club Manchester United. The Scotsman’s arms froze by his side, rigid and unemotive, but was surrounded by his new teammates.
United were relegated from the First Division that season which undoubtedly filled Law, christened the ‘King of Old Trafford,’ a great deal of sadness and there’s a degree of understanding as to why he didn’t celebrate against his former club.
However, not every player holds the same relationship as Law did with United fans, and even at that, few goals have such dramatic effect (even though it is a myth that Law’s goal solely relegated United to the Second Division).
In the opening weekend of the 2017-18 Premier League season, West Ham’s new signing Javier Hernandez returns to Old Trafford where he spent five years, winning two Premier League titles. This return is a reminder of his more successful days as a footballer and he is guaranteed a top reception.
But it genuinely baffling why Hernandez would come out before making his West Ham debut and question whether it would be acceptable to celebrate.
What the hell is that about?
Surely scoring against the club that sold you would be a moment of great joy — the equivalent of a two fingered gesture to those who no longer saw you beneficial to the squad?
Louis van Gaal allowed Hernandez join Real Madrid on-loan for a season, and then sanctioned his transfer to Bayer Leverkusen in 2015. The Mexican has a choice to make if he scores on Sunday. He can either celebrate or not.
“I don’t know if I will celebrate if I score at Old Trafford,” he said.
“It’s my old club, my old fans, my old stadium but I’ll be my first goal for West Ham. I am not thinking about the celebration, I just want to have the chance to start and get my team the result. I am very happy and glad, it’s the best way to come back and open at Old Trafford. I am a Hammer, a West Ham player, I want to do even better than I did in Manchester.”
Hernandez is hardly a club legend, so it would look strange pretending to be unhappy at scoring a goal.
Arsenal striker Danny Welbeck left United in 2014, and has never held back celebrating against his former club:
“I grew up there [Manchester] and obviously it’s a special place in my life, but once we get on that pitch it’s just business at the end of the day. When you score you’ve got to be happy, haven’t you? It’s only normal.”
A perfect response after scoring the winner against United, and I don’t think a subtle celebration is going to anger fans who once cheered your name. If anything, for me, anyway, it holds the player in a higher regard.
When it’s your job to score goals, you’re allowed to enjoy doing so, and if people are offended by that let them be. Hernandez was a good player for Manchester United and the Old Trafford faithful will only wish him the best whenever he players. They obviously don’t want him scoring this weekend, but if he does… he should celebrate!
