Match of the Day Top 10: Lineker, Shearer & Richards rank the best Premier League celebrations

Which Premier League celebration is the best ever?

From iconic moments to trademark moves, football fans are certain to remember all the celebrations on the list.

Here are their picks. See what you think, and then select the order you would rank them in.

• Find out how Gary, Alan and Micah ranked the celebrations
• Watch Match of the Day Top 10 on BBC iPlayer

Adebayor against Arsenal

After a fruitful spell at Arsenal between 2006 and 2009, Emmanuel Adebayor made the switch to Manchester City for a reported £29m – a year into the club’s Abu Dhabi-based ownership.

Two months into the 2009/10 season, the Togo international met his former club for the first time since the move, and was jeered by the away supporters throughout the match.

With just 10 minutes to play, Adebayor made it 3-1 to City with a bullet header and ran the entire length of the pitch, knee-sliding in front of the Arsenal fans as his new club eventually ran out 4-2 winners.

Shearer’s trademark

The Premier League record goalscorer’s low-key celebration is instantly recognisable – and an absolute classic.

After finding the net, Shearer would raise his right arm and wheel away to soak in the acclaim from supporters.

Occasionally, the Newcastle United legend would surprise fans by lifting both arms, but that was generally reserved for special goals.

Rooney gets KO’d

In March 2015, a video of Wayne Rooney and Phil Bardsley boxing in a kitchen surfaced online just hours before Manchester United were due to take on Tottenham at Old Trafford.

The Red Devils beat Spurs 3-0, with Rooney scoring the third, and the striker’s dramatic celebration saw him punch the air a few times before falling back theatrically to mirror getting knocked out.

Siuuuuu!

Following his 2009 departure from Manchester United, Cristiano Ronaldo rejoined the club in the summer of 2021.

The Portugal icon brought back with him experience, an abundance of individual records and accolades, and a new celebration – which he had first debuted for Real Madrid back in 2013.

His twisting “Siiiiu” got a fair number of airings during his second spell at Old Trafford, with Ronaldo netting 27 times before he joined Saudi club Al Nassr.

Why always me?

Mario Balotelli was never far from controversy during his time as a Manchester City player.

Just two days before the Manchester derby in 2011, the Italian’s bathroom caught fire after a firework was set off in his house.

The striker subsequently scored the opener in the 6-1 win over United, revealing a T-shirt under his top with the question “why always me?”

Do the robot

Most fans believe Peter Crouch busted out his famous ‘robot’ dance moves every single week.

In fact, the former Stoke striker only ‘did the robot’ once in the Premier League, celebrating his 100th goal in the competition during a 1-1 draw with Everton in 2017.

It gained popularity for its two prior showings, in England’s 2006 World Cup warm-up matches versus Hungary and Jamaica, and will forever be associated with the forward.

‘The Cantona’

How do you celebrate a goal as brilliant as Eric Cantona’s chip in Manchester United’s 5-0 win against Sunderland in 1996? You stand on the spot with arms aloft and take it all in, of course…

Ketsbaia reaches boiling point

Former Newcastle United midfielder Temuri Ketsbaia wasn’t always as joyful as the image above indicates, and that was certainly the case when he scored a last-minute winner against Bolton Wanderers in January 1998.

The furious Georgian removed his boots and shirt and proceeded to kick the advertising hoardings repeatedly.

Shearer even had to retrieve his team-mate’s top from the crowd so he could continue. A very bizarre one indeed.

LuaLua’s acrobatics

Whether it be for Newcastle United or Portsmouth, Lomana LuaLua would treat supporters to his iconic back-flip somersaults whenever he got on the scoresheet.

Plenty of other footballers have unleashed similar acrobatics since, but LuaLua was arguably the trailblazer for such extravagant celebrations.

Klinsmann’s dive

In 1994, Jurgen Klinsmann arrived at Tottenham from Monaco and the build-up to his debut was marred by claims he was a diver.

The German quickly endeared himself to Spurs fans, however, by scoring the winner on his debut in a 4-3 win over Sheffield United… and celebrating with an exaggerated dive.