8 footballers who refused to celebrate after scoring against their former club
Scoring a goal is often met with jubilant celebrations – except when some of the game’s biggest stars net against their former club.
While the trend is much mocked by Proper Football Men, it’s now common practice to show respect even if the club in question treated the player like an afterthought.
We’ve trawled through the archive and found eight players refused to celebrate after scoring against their old team.
Brahim Diaz
After spending the early years of his career developing at Manchester City, Brahim opted to show full respect to his former employers after scoring against them for Real Madrid in 2025.
Raising his hands in apologetic fashion, the Morocco international produced a textbook example of magnanimity that was only slightly undermined by his full-throttled desire to celebrate Jude Bellingham’s late winner.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Ronaldo didn’t celebrate against former clubs on a few occasions while playing for Real Madrid.
His goal against Manchester United in 2013 helped Real Madrid in a tense Champions League last-16 clash.
As in the first leg against Sir Alex Ferguson’s side, he held his hands up for a quiet celebration.
The goalscoring machine also netted against his first professional team, Sporting Lisbon in 2016-17.
When asked why he chose not to celebrate, he simply responded: “They made me who I am.” Hard to argue with that.
Frank Lampard
Lampard infamously came back to haunt Chelsea while plying his trade with Manchester City in September 2014.
The legendary midfielder joined City on loan from MLS club New York City, who he had joined after his departure from Stamford Bridge.
On his return to the Premier League, Lampard volleyed home a powerful equaliser against Chelsea during one meeting to earn his new side a precious point.
As expected, he didn’t celebrate and had the grace to look gutted by what he’d just done.
Mohamed Salah
Considering the sheer amount of goals he scores, perhaps fatigue is the reason Salah usually mutes his celebrations against his former clubs.
After scoring for Liverpool against Chelsea in 2017 he did not celebrate, although he layer said this was to pay tribute to those killed in the Sinai mosque attack.
Salah’s cracking goal against the Blues a year later saw him pull off the calming yoga tree pose before being jostled out of it by his exuberant team-mates.
The Egyptian also scored twice against Roma in the Champions League in 2018, but did not celebrate.
He had finished the previous campaign as top scorer for the Serie A club and was somewhat apologetic following both of his goals in the 5-2 victory.
Luis Suarez
After scoring an important goal against Barcelona in 2021, Suarez didn’t celebrate out of respect for his former club as his Atletico Madrid team-mates went potty around him. Fair play.
READ NEXT: 9 celebrations that went horribly wrong: Morrow, Knockaert, Ramos…
TRY A QUIZ: Can you name the top Premier League scorer for every nationality?
Robin van Persie
Van Persie was unarguably one of the best finishers in the world at the start of the 2010s.
His impressive form at Arsenal saw him snapped up by Manchester United in 2012 in a move that caused much angst in north London.
Having promised not to celebrate against his old team, the Dutchman kept his word when he found the back of the net during their meeting in November 2012.
The former striker reacted by putting his hands in the air with almost no emotion on his face.
Given the amount of stick he took from Arsenal fans, he must have half tempted to go full Adebayor – and did celebrate conventionally against the Gunners the following year.
READ: Nine signings that defined a Premier League title victory: Cantona, Van Persie, Kante…
Jesse Lingard
Lingard’s coupon was a study of calm after firing Manchester United’s winner in the dying moments of their Premier League match at West Ham in September 2021.
Lingard enjoyed a successful loan spell at the Hammers during the previous campaign and, despite scoring what proved to be the matchwinner, his decision not to celebrate was borne out of respect.
West Ham fans are a notoriously unforgiving bunch against certain ex-players – just ask Paul Ince and Frank Lampard – and Lingard got both barrels a year later after rejecting the east Londoners in favour of Nottingham Forest.
Gabriel Batistuta
‘Batigol’ is Fiorentina’s all-time top goalscorer and inevitably scored against his former club in his first season with Roma.
After netting the winner from 25 yards, the Argentinian looked visibly upset and was reduced to tears on the pitch.
Batistuta later explained that he felt the emotions of the Fiorentina fans, knowing that they would return home disappointed.
At the end of the game, he even ran over to the 3,000 visiting fans and applauded them before leaving the Olympic Stadium in tears at the end of an emotional night.