Over the years Super Eagles, other footballers and athletes around the world have employed the use of acrobatic moves in goal celebrations/achievements npflupdates.com reports.
An Acrobatic flip is a sequence of body movement in which a person leaps into the air and then rotates one or more times in the air.
In Nigeria football, a lot of ex and present players have employed acrobatic moves as a style of celebration, especially when they score goals. Even those that play in the local Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) and those based abroad.
Atheletes in Nigeria, Africa and other foreign spaces are free to, and have used acrobatic moves as their celebration style in the past, the present and it may even linger into the future.
Today our discussion in this article is focused only on Super Eagles, past and present who employs acrobatic style of goal celebration.
SUPER EAGLES PLAYERS CHARACTERIZED BY ACROBATIC STYLE OF CELEBRATION
* Victor Moses
Victor Moses is a former Super Eagles international, who currently plays as a winger for Spartak Moscow in the Russian league.
Moses started his senior career in 2007 with Crystal Palace in the English championship. At the London-based club, he played a total number of 58 games, and of course scored 11 goals.
Victor Moses earned a Super Eagles call-up in the year 2012. And played through for the three-time African champions untill 2018, before he threw in the towel. For Nigeria he featured in 38 games for the national team, scored 12 goals, including a spot-kick against Argentina at the 2018 FIFA men’s world cup tournament in Russia.
During his time with Super Eagles he was a delight to watch, because every fan will anticipate his acrobatic moves whenever he’s on target.
Before his move away from England, he won the English Premier League title with Chelsea, a UEFA Europa League title, an English FA Cup title amongst other individual honours.
* Obafemi Martins
Obafemi Martins is a former Super Eagles professional who played as a forward.
Martins started his football journey at Ebedei, a local football club in the Nigeria league system. Ebedei a football academy based in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State Nigeria.
Martins started his senior career with Serie A club Inter Milan in 2002. During his playing time with the Italian giant, he was loved by teammates because of commitment and dedication to the club’s objectives.
He is characterized by agility, tenacity, durability, speed, goal-poaching ability and shot-accuracy; and of course his acrobatic celebration moves.
Martins who represented the Nigeria National team between 2004 – 2015, appeared 42 times and scored 18 times. Interestingly, most of his goals he celebrated with acrobatic back-flip. And that was part of the many reason why fans loved him.
* Julius AghahowaÂ
Julius Efosa Aghahowa was a Nigerian former professional footballer who played as a striker.
Aghahowa was the identified as the foreigner outside the former Soviet Union, who was among the best scorers in the Ukrainian premier league in 2000 – 2001 season.
Julius Aghahowa was a delight to watch. He was know for his pace, dribbling skills, and strength. He scored a lot of goals in Ukraine, during his time with Shaktar Donestk.
He started his career in Nigeria with Bendel Insurance. He represented Nigeria in the 2000 Olympic, making four appearances and scoring just once as Nigeria fail to win a medal.
He was with the national team for seven years, from 2000 – 2007. Made a total appearance of 32 and; scored 14 goals.
* Celestine Babayaro
A former Super Eagles player, who played as left-back or a midfielder. Born 29 August 1978 (45years).
He started his football career in Nigeria, with plateau united, before moving to Anderlecht. Anderlecht a Belgian football club based in Anderlecht, Brussels capital region, and competing in the Belgian Jupiler Pro League.
Celestine Babayaro started earned an invitation to join the Super Eagles in 1995. And in 1996 he won the Atlanta Olympic gold medal with Nigeria’s U-23, in men’s football category.
He first celebrated with a back-flip at a quarter-final game between Nigeria and Brazil, when he scored from an almost impossible angle.
As a defender he doesn’t often score, but whenever he does score, fans will witness in stunning moves or the other.
He was regarded as the pioneer of back-flip celebration, as long as modern day Nigerian football is concerned.
