Barcelona youth prospect copies Cristiano Ronaldo celebration
A Barcelona youth team player has caused controversy by celebrating in the style of Real Madrid icon Cristiano Ronaldo. 18-year-old Fermin Lopez Martin opened the scoring for Barcelona’s Juvenil A team against UE Cornella, thanks to a spectacular bicycle kick that the Portuguese legend would have been proud of.
The teenager then ran to the corner and immitated Cristiano Ronaldo’s iconic Siu celebration as his side won the clash 3-2.
Although the celebration was initially shown on the Barca TV livestream for the youth encounter, it was later edited out of all social media posts.
A clip of the goal was posted on the official Barca Instagram page, with the caption:
“What a goal! Es-pec-ta-cu-lar”
They also used the hashtag #MadeInLaMasia, in reference to their world-famous youth academy.
Ronaldo left arch-rivals Real Madrid in 2018, having been Barcelona’s nemesis for nearly a decade in La Liga.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has scored 20 goals in his 34 career appearances against the Blaurgana. The censorship of Martin’s celebration clearly suggests there is no love lost between the two great rivals.
Barcelona still haunted Cristiano Ronaldo’s time in Spain
The 37-year-old is currently Manchester United’s top scorer across the current campaign, having returned to Old Trafford at the start of the season.
He has since bagged 22 strikes in his 35 games and has been a rare bright-spark in a dismal season for the Red Devils, who look almost certain to miss out on Champions League qualification.
Only fellow Spanish top-flight clubs Sevilla, Atletico Madrid and Getafe have conceded more times to Ronaldo than the Catalonian giants.
However, his team record against Barca isn’t great, having only won 10 of the 34 encounters he has played in, drawing nine and losing the other 15.
Those defeats include the 2009 Champions League final defeat while at United, and the infamous 5-0 Classico defeat at the Camp Nou in 2010.
Following his then-world-record transfer from Old Trafford to the Bernabeu in 2009, the Portuguese forward would go on to become a Real Madrid icon.
He scored an extraordinary 450 goals in 439 appearances across his nine seasons for the Galacticos and was a key member of the side that claimed four Champions League titles in five years.
His Siu celebration has become a familiar sight in world-football, with the legendary attacker most recently performing the jump after completing his hat-trick in United’s most recent home game against Norwich City.
