Most Creative Goal Celebrations in World Football

As any American will eagerly tell you, "soccer," aka football, involves very little scoring—and sometimes none at all. That's precisely why when a ball does end up in the net, so much emphasis is placed on the resulting jubilation on the pitch. 

Several elements go into making an entertaining and creative goal celebration, but certain rules must be set forth for the purposes of this list. There will be nothing as sordid as when Liverpool's Robbie Fowler mocked snorting a white line in celebration during a 1999 match, which promptly earned him a four-match ban. And there will be nothing as sultry as when Italian Cristiano Lucarelli humped his own jersey.

In fact, all outside props and written messages on T-shirts are banned from this list of creative celebrations. Players must use only the materials of the game, namely the ball and their teammates. Style points are awarded in four categories: uniqueness, humor, planning and execution.

Here are the best of the best, but one entire team from a small island nation reigns supreme.

5. Imitation Is the Sincerest Form of Mockery

In 2008, on the day after Christmas, Hull City manager Phil Brown found his side losing to Manchester City 4-0 at halftime, so he decided to humiliate the team by conducting his excoriating halftime speech on the field as his players sat cross-legged like kindergarteners. Little motivation ensued from the scolding, as Hull City lost by a final score of 5-1 that day. 

In 2009, again playing Manchester City, the Hull City players exacted a measure of revenge. 

Jimmy Bullard scored a late penalty and knotted the match at 1-1, but he put the cherry on top with his celebration. Bullard called his teammates over to him in a clearly pre-planned send-up of Brown's antics. They quickly arranged themselves in a seated circle around Bullard who proceeded to ape admonishment on his peers just as Brown had done on Boxing Day. 

Fans immediately recognized the joke, and everyone had a hearty laugh at Brown's expense. Brown's tenure with Hull City ended in 2010. This celebration also demonstrates the trend of quality celebrations following penalty shots, as that makes planning and coordination considerably easier. 

4. The Many Backflips of Lomana LuaLua

Lomana LuaLua hails from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but he had fans of Newcastle and Portsmouth flipping in the new millennium with his goal celebrations.

His acrobatic embellishments recall YouTube sensations from the National Football League, like Jason Pierre-Paul's lopsided backflip contest or the 21 acrobatic repetitions performed by David Wilson. 

However, LuaLua's most intriguing goal may have come with a different celebration. In 2004, LuaLua was under contract with Newcastle but on loan to Portsmouth at the time. In a deviation from a standard loan agreement, Newcastle failed to include a clause banning their loaned-out player from playing against them in his capacity for Portsmouth.

"Maybe it was saying I wouldn't do damage," LuaLua guessed afterward, via The Guardian's Jon Brodkin.

Naturally, LuaLua netted an equalizer in the 89th minute, celebrating the clutch score in front of some embittered Newcastle fans by pointing to the name on the back of his Portsmouth jersey before ripping it off with glee to display his back-flipping physique. 

Newcastle's error prompted a new rule about players on loan going against their former team, and the incident reminded everyone to always read a loan agreement thoroughly before signing. While Newcastle had been paid a six-figure loan fee for LuaLua, facing their own player in a different kit cost the Magpies two points.

3. Eric Cantona's Non-Reaction

Barry Sanders scored just over 100 touchdowns for the Detroit Lions. When he reached the end zone, he didn't spike the ball or celebrate; he merely handed the football to the referee and ran back to the sideline.

An old sports adage holds that when you score, you should act like you've done it before. Overzealous celebrations can seem amateurish, while understated reactions convey not only professionalism and class, but also a merciless, robotic confidence in the ability to score again.

What could be a more creative celebration than the absence of celebration?

Enter Eric Cantona, a mercurial footballer noted for his size, unique temperament and hot temper. He once delivered a karate kick to a fan, then eventually explained himself at a press conference by saying: "When the seagulls follow the trawler, it is because they think that sardines will be thrown into the sea," via BBC.

Suffice it to say, Cantona was both uniquely talented and uniquely cerebral, which possibly led him to celebrate this goal for Manchester United by adopting the contemplative pose of a French philosopher preparing to deliver an oration.

His reaction coveys something to the effect of: "Yes, I've scored. Is this what you value? Well I hope you're happy, because it wasn't even that difficult for someone of my immense skill."

2. Hidetoshi Wakui Bowls a Strike for Nomme Kalju

During the summer of 2014, Jeff Bridges, star of The Big Lebowski, decided to bowl out the first pitch at Dodgers Stadium in tribute to his character from the cult-classic film. 

Perhaps Japanese footballer Hidetoshi Wakui, hailing all the way from the Tochigi Prefecture, numbers among the legions of Lebowski fans. Knowing that it's important to distinguish yourself in the heady world of Meistriliiga, the top tier of Estonian football, Wakui deployed a classic 10-pin bowling celebration when he scored for Nomme Kalju.  

His teammates gathered into formation while Wakui appeared to do a Fred Flintstone "twinkle toes" setup (though the cameraman couldn't quite manage to capture it), then he bowled a perfect strike using the game ball.

Wakui's Nomme Kalju teammates may want to confer before the next such celebration, as they not only failed to get the regulation 10 pins racked up for Wakui, but the 10-pin itself arrived late. Still, the Flintstones homage puts Nomme Kalju over the top. 

1. Stjarnan FC, Icelandic Kings of the Goal Celebration

The members of Icelandic squad Stjarnan F.C. have a lot of fun together, and their meticulous planning combined with a creative, wry sense of humor has produced numerous goal celebrations that put the rest of the world to shame.

Stjarnan are like the Norse gods of celebrating goals creatively. Their pantomime of reeling in a teammate like a fish, then faux photographing their sizable catch, evoked as much laughter as a Blue Man Group show while also paying tribute to one of the more historically important activities enjoyed throughout Iceland. 

And don't think for a minute that the boys from Stjarnan don't have any more tricks up their sleeves. 

These raucous rejoicers almost seem to score goals merely so they can celebrate, and they've come up with group activities that include sharing the miracle of childbirth and building a human bicycle. They're the best goal celebrators in the world and should probably start their own improv troupe.