OPINION: Scoring a goal should always be celebrated - even if it's against a former club like Liverpool forward Hugo Ekitike's strike versus Eintracht Frankfurt
12:05, 23 Oct 2025
Hugo Ekitike holds his hands up after scoring for Liverpool against his former club Eintracht Frankfurt
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Hugo Ekitike holds his hands up after scoring for Liverpool against his former club Eintracht Frankfurt(Image: DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
Hugo Ekitike has to give his head a wobble after the Liverpool striker refused to celebrate his first half equaliser against Eintracht Frankfurt.
He held his hands up in some sort of apologetic fashion. Like he was preaching to the unconverted. For the record, the Frenchman played one full season for Frankfurt.
He made 33 league appearances. Which is hardly the foundations for a lifelong love affair between him and the German club. And guess what?
In the summer Liverpool came calling. And Ekitike dumped Frankfurt like a hot stone. Thanks for helping me get my career back on track fellas, but I’m off to Merseyside.
No one is blaming the forward for going to Liverpool. You can’t say no to that. But do me a favour. Don’t go back to where you came from, and pledge some sort of undying love and loyalty to a club you turned your back on. It’s more transparent than a window.
Hugo Ekitike of Liverpool shoots at Michael Zetterer of Eintracht Frankfurt during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD3 match between Eintracht Frankfurt and Liverpool FC at Frankfurt Stadion on October 22, 2025 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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Huge Ekitike took his goal for Liverpool emphatically against Eintracht Frankfurt - then chose not to celebrate it(Image: 2025 Getty Images)
We’ve seen this before. Alan Smith used to kiss the badge of his hometown club Leeds United. And he ended up at another United - the one Leeds supporters live to hate. Manchester United.
Mohamed Salah, Robin Van Persie and Jesse Lingard are those on a long list of culprits to have also done what Ekitike did. A laughable Lingard refused to celebrate a winner against West Ham for Manchester United in 2021. He’d been on loan with the Hammers.
Football is about one thing. Winning. And winning requires scoring goals. And scoring a goal should always be celebrated.
If a player loved one of his former clubs so much he can’t bring himself to celebrate scoring against them, then why did he leave them in the first place?
There are two reasons. That player got a better offer. Or that club decided they didn’t want the player anymore.
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The brutal truth is supporters don’t give a hoot about what a player does once he leaves their club. So a footballer thinking it’s inappropriate to score a goal for someone else and upset them, is nothing short of deluded.
It also speaks volumes for how narcissistic footballers are these days. How about celebrating a goal in front of those supporters who actually support the team you play for?
Those who break the bank to follow you around the world - hoping you score a goal. How about showing respect to those people who pay your wages - instead of those who used to.