There was more to Gabriel Magalhaes copying Viktor Gyokeres' celebration than initially met the eye.
The Arsenal centre-back pulled out the Sporting striker's Bane celebration as he scored in the 5-1 Champions League rout in Portugal.
Gabriel cheekily mocked Gyokeres' celebration after scoring Arsenal's third
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Gabriel cheekily mocked Gyokeres' celebration after scoring Arsenal's third
Now it has been revealed that Gabriel's act was revenge for former teammate Granit Xhaka.
talkSPORT’s Inside Gooners podcast revealed that the Brazilian copied the superstar striker as Sporting Lisbon were guilty of doing a similar act last year.
Actor and football writer, James McNicholas, said on the podcast: “Apparently Sporting did it to us last time we played them. They imitated Granit Xhaka’s celebration so it was a bit of payback.
“Gabriel, he's one of those players that does remember things. If you think about his duels with Haaland and how they’ve carried on into the next games, if there’s a bit of needle there he never forgets.”
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What McNicholas was referencing was the second leg against Sporting during the 2022/23 round of 16 Europa League.
Xhaka put the Gunners ahead and celebrated by putting a thumb to his nose, a celebration claimed to be for his daughter.
Unfortunately it went downhill from there as Pedro Goncalves equalised to force extra time and then a penalty shoot out which the Portuguese side won.
As Sporting celebrated, Goncalves repeated the Swiss midfielder’s celebration at the Emirates for all the home fans to see.
Adding salt to the wounds for Arsenal, William Saliba and Takehiro Tomiyasu have season ending injuries which derailed their title race.
A match which must have played on the mind of the Brazilian centre-back.
Gyokeres celebrates against Manchester City
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Gyokeres celebrates against Manchester CityCredit: Getty
An inspiration for his vicious header to put Mikel Arteta’s side 3-0 up on the stroke of halftime, attacking a splendid curling corner from Declan Rice.
It was a world class performance from Gabriel who alongside Saliba managed to keep Gyokeres silent.
Not an easy task, as Manchester City conceded three to the Swede the previous Champions League fixture week in their 4-1 loss.
Gyokeres is a forward in high demand, even for Arsenal fans who believe they need a goalscoring No.9 to win a first league title since 2004.
When asked how he would feel if a defender stole his celebration, Darren Bent replied: “It’s one of those things. The only thing is if you're Gyokeres, you’re annoyed. It's different when it happened in the Premier League with Ivan Toney, you know you’re going to see him again so I’ll remember that.
“With the Champions League situation because they might not see Sporting again, Gyokeres is probably thinking how do I even get them back? I can’t because I might not see them again.
Goncalves copied Xhaka... and the Arsenal players didn't forget
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Goncalves copied Xhaka... and the Arsenal players didn't forgetCredit: Getty
“I’ve said it on both counts. Gabriel doing that at some point swings in circles so it might happen to him at some point. As long as you can take that then I’m all fine with it.”
Gyokeres told the Arsenal defender he is welcome to use his celebration - especially if he can't think of his own.
“Gabriel’s celebration? He’s welcome to steal it if he can’t create his own celebration! I didn’t know he did that, but it’s fun he likes my celebration”, Gyokeres told ViaplayFotboll after the game.
For many Arsenal fans this was the match to determine whether Gyokeres is worth signing, but with no obvious striker choice available in the market it remains a mystery what business the north London club will do.