Gooaal!

Book excerpt: Football celebrations are a vital part of the beautiful game. Gooooaaaaal! The Joy of the Football Celebration is all about what happens in the exhilarating moments after a goal. Where once a firm handshake was the norm-with a brief head nod if it had been a really good goal-today we see backflips, finger-pointing, ear-cuffing, badge-bashing, knee-sliding, camera-mugging, thumb-sucking-and sometimes something entirely original and funny. Often, the celebration is instinctive and all the better for it, but others are carefully planned and designed to make a point. Some are controversial or political, and an unfortunate few have resulted in injuries. Peter Crouch, Wayne Rooney, Paul Gascoigne, Jurgen Klinsmann, Jamie Vardy, Raheem Sterling, Alex Morgan, Bebeto, finger-wagging Jimmy Bullard, golf club-waving Craig Bellamy, line-sniffing Robbie Fowler-all of them are among the 200-plus celebrations featured in this book. You'll discover exactly what went on-and why.