The Top (Er) 11 Goal Celebrations Ever

Jimmy Bullard's fantastically funny goal celebration, for Hull City against Manchester City, has helped to put to bed the ghost of last season's media-hyped assault on Tiger's boss Phil Brown (well at least for now).

Brown had done the same to his under-performing players last Christmas to much consternation by the British media and Bullard's antics diffused a tense week for the Manager and his team.

I thought it would be interesting to look at some of the other famous goal celebrations, as the festive season rolls around. In the immortal words of Spinal Tap's, Nigel Tufnel,

"Well, it's one louder, isn't it? It's not 10. You see, most blokes, you know, will be playing at 10. You're on 10 here, all the way up, all the way up, all the way up, you're on 10 on your guitar. Where can you go from there? Where?"

Alan Shearer

Alan Shearer's raised right hand, palm-open salute is possibly the most famous goal celebration in Premiership history. Shearer got to do it 283 times in the Premiership and 30 times for England.

Ronaldo

Ronaldo (no not the Portugese fellow, the original, before gaining 400 lbs.) was a master of the understated celebration. On scoring Ronaldo would jog away from goal wagging the index finger of his right hand, as if telling everyone, "I told you so."

Alessandro Del Piero

Alessandro Del Piero's celebration has been called juvenile, infantile, or even childish, but usually by opposing fans. His trade mark of sticking his tongue out as he runs away from goal gets him into our list of great goal celebrations.

Fabrizio Ravanelli

Fabrizio Ravanelli's famous shirt-over-the-face celebration was synonymous with the Italian striker especially after scoring for Middlesborough in the English League cup final against Leicester City in 1996-'97 season.

Unfortunately for the big Italian, he'd probably get a yellow card for his troubles now.

Roger Milla

One of the all-time classic celebrations is by Cameroon's Roger Milla. His salsa style dance around the corner post became one of the most popular celebrations mimicked by kids all over the world after the World Cup of 1990 in Italy.

Bebeto

Bebeto the Brazilian striker's trademarked celebration originated from a spontaneous loving gesture to his new born child at World Cup '94 in the US.

After scoring against Holland he ran to the sideline cradling and rocking an imaginary baby. Teammates Romário and Mazinho quickly joined in, to great effect, and a classic celebration was born.

Jurgen Klinsmann

Jurgen Klinsmann was one of the best strikers in World football. He had won the World Cup in 1990 with Germany but for English football fans, Klinsman was famous for one thing only, "diving."

So when he signed for Tottenham Hospurs in 1994 the media and fans alike were waiting for the German to dive his way to the F.A. Cup. To everyone's great surprise he was found to have a fantastic sense of humour, not a normal thing for his stereotypically stoic countrymen.

On scoring his first goal for Spurs on his debut he poked fun at himself by diving to the ground arms out wide as if fouled and his teammates followed. Notably that season Klinsman won the English Football Writers' Footballer of the Year Award.

Peter Crouch

The lanky and ungainly English striker had one of the most popular celebrations when he would do a "robot dance" after scoring for England.

Aylesbury United FC

Aylesbury United made this a classic. The ametuer football club gained some notoriety for their "duck walk" celebration whilst on their longest F.A. Cup run in 1994-'95 season when they reached the Third Round Proper, losing to Queen's Park Rangers.

England Team Euro 96

The "Dentist's Chair" as it became known was the culmination of a sublime goal by the England team against Scotland at Wembley Stadium.

Paul Gascoigne and the England team had been pilloried by the British press for going on a drinking spree whilst on a pre-tournement tour of Hong Kong, where the players had squirted alchohol into each others mouths whilst in a chair.

The team had hunkered down against the press but when Gascoigne scored that fantastic team goal he lay down just off the pitch and his teammates squirted water in to his mouth in mockery of the "Dentist's Chair."

Hull City

For me this is the best goal celebration ever, or certainly the funniest.

Bullard's telling of his team in a satire of Phil Brown's infamous halftime team talk at Eastlands is an instant classic, but there are so many more great goal celebrations to choose from that I could be writting this slideshow for a month and still not be finished.

So who did I miss out? Let me know which ones I missed, who warranted inclusion in the top 11 greatest goal celebrations ever? What were your favourites and why?