Didier Drogba shows his appreciation for Erling Haaland after the Man City striker kept his Ballon d’Or promise by recreating the Chelsea legend’s iconic goal celebration
- Erling Haaland paid tribute to Didier Drogba after scoring for Manchester City
- Former Chelsea star Drogba had asked Haaland to recreate his party
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Didier Drogba showed his appreciation for Erling Haaland on Tuesday night after the Man City star recreated the former Chelsea striker’s iconic celebration.
Haaland scored twice as City powered past Young Boys at the Etihad to secure their place in the Champions League knockout stages, but it was one of his celebrations that really caught the eye.
Drogba presented part of the awards ceremony at last week’s Ballon d’Or ceremony, where Haaland was recognized as the second best men’s player in the world after Lionel Messi.
The pair spoke at the invitation-only ceremony in Paris and Drogba asked Haaland to recognize him the next time he scored with a throwback goal celebration.
Drogba is regarded as one of the Premier League’s greatest strikers ever, scoring 164 goals in all competitions during his two terms at Stamford Bridge.
Erling Haaland recreated an iconic goal celebration in Tuesday’s win over Young Boys
Haaland paid tribute to former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba, who celebrated by pointing his hands to the ground
His most famous celebration saw the Ivorian run towards the corner flag while gesturing to the ground with both hands.
Haaland repeated the move after scoring his second goal against Young Boys with a brilliant strike from the edge of the penalty area at the Etihad in the midweek European match.
His re-creation was appreciated by Drogba on social media, who reposted an image of Haaland and him during the celebration on his Instagram story.
Clearly delighted, Haaland shared the image Drogba had posted with his 14.8 million Instagram followers.
Former Man City defender Joleon Lescott explained the reasoning behind Haaland’s replica goal celebration and explained to TNT Sports what was discussed with Drogba.
‘During the Ballon d’Or ceremony, Drogba and Gary Lineker asked him about his loyalty and whether he could celebrate the next time he scored.
“He dedicated that to Didier and that is a moment for him.”
Drogba had asked Haaland to recreate his iconic celebration when he next scored after the pair met at the Ballon d’Or awards
Drogba and Haaland both posted an image of their matching celebrations on social media
Haaland chose to snub Lineker, although the presenter is unlikely to take it personally after they shared a joke on stage at the Ballon d’Or ceremony
After attending Drogba’s party, Haaland turned down Lineker, who may have hoped the Norwegian would copy him.
However, Lineker’s celebrations throughout his career have been slightly less iconic, which could explain why Haaland decided to emulate Drogba.
Haaland started Tuesday’s Champions League match despite concerns over his fitness after being substituted at half-time during City’s win over Bournemouth.
However, Pep Guardiola pushed him back into the starting line-up after an impressive training session and he now has the chance to beat Drogba’s old club when City travel to Stamford Bridge this weekend.