Soccer: Lords of the dance get their kicks from bizarre rituals

HIRATSUKA - For the real showmen of the World Cup, scoring a goal is only the start of a complex ritual that demands just as much energy and passion - the celebration.

Gone are the days when a goal scorer would politely wave to the crowd and jog back to the centre circle.

Even kissing and hugging your team-mates, considered scandalous at one time, is now somewhat old hat.

These days, the celebration has become an art form in its own right where a player can give full vent to his excitement, anger or plain weirdness as well as test the limits of officials' tolerance.

For every showman there is a wallflower, such as Japan's top midfielder, Hidetoshi Nakata, who often just smiles shyly and turns away when he scores.

But just as the World Cup will throw up new names in every area of the pitch, it is bound to make some players famous for their quirky celebrations.

When Papa Bouba Diop scored the winning goal for Senegal against France on Saturday, he and four team-mates, overjoyed with the accomplishment, ran to the corner flag and formed a circle, dancing with each other, then boogied in an impromptu conga line.

Or it could well be Nigeria's young striker, Julius Aghahowa, who likes to round off a goal with a spectacular series of handsprings and a trademark backflip somersault.

He says fans have no need to worry that he will tone down his gymnastics for Nigeria's campaign.

"When I started scoring I decided to introduce it as my own kind of celebration," the lightning fast 20-year-old said.

"I saw that a lot of people liked it and loved it, and they kept on asking for more, so I decided to stick to it."

Aghahowa's way of expressing himself is at least more dignified that the celebration chosen by one his countrymen after scoring against Greece in the 1994 World Cup.

Winger Finidi George sprinted to the corner flag, where he and several other players proceeded to raise a hind leg in a mystifying impression of urinating dogs.

England striker Robbie Fowler also stretched the boundaries of taste when he knelt down near the touchline and pretended to sniff cocaine after a goal for his former club Liverpool in 1999 - an attempted swipe at allegations he had taken drugs.

It backfired badly and a British poll recently ranked it the worst sporting celebration of all time.

Brazil's Bebeto touched hearts in 1998 by pretending to rock a baby in his arms after scoring, celebrating his new-born child.

His team-mate Romario is another talented celebrator, whose speciality - the outstretched arms aircraft routine - has become a solid favourite around the world.

Another hardy perennial is stripping off the shirt, although this can have many variations, such as Ryan Giggs' hairy-chested sprint after a 1999 FA Cup semifinal goal and Italian Fabrizio Ravanelli's preference for just covering his head.

It is not always as spontaneous as it seems. Italians and Argentines are particularly keen on lifting shirts to reveal a T-shirt with slogans ranging from political propaganda to "Hello Mum."

No matter how many hours of practice and rehearsal go into celebrations, the ones that live longest in the memory are the spontaneous eruptions of joy.

Charismatic Cameroon striker Roger Milla will never be forgotten for his sexy samba with the corner flag in the 1990 World Cup.

- REUTERS

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