Gabriel Magalhães' Celebration Sparks Debate Between Shearer and Richards
Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhães sparked a lively debate between Alan Shearer and Micah Richards following his controversial celebration after scoring against Sporting CP in the Champions League. Gabriel’s decision to mimic Viktor Gyokeres’ signature celebration after scoring Arsenal's third goal in a dominant 5-1 win raised eyebrows, especially among pundits.
The Brazilian centre-back scored with a towering header from a corner just before halftime, capping off an impressive first-half performance by the Gunners. But it was his subsequent celebration that caused a stir. Gabriel ran toward the corner flag and mimicked Gyokeres’ trademark gesture, covering his eyes with his fingers. The move was widely interpreted as a playful jibe at the Sporting CP striker, who had been kept in check by Gabriel and his defensive partner, William Saliba, throughout the game. The celebration also went viral, especially given that Gyokeres has been linked with a potential move to Arsenal in the transfer market.
While many fans found Gabriel's celebration amusing, former footballers Alan Shearer and Micah Richards had differing opinions. Richards, speaking on the Rest Is Football podcast, expressed his disapproval. "I don’t quite agree with his Gyokeres celebration," he said. "We don’t need to go there, mocking Gyokeres. He did the celebration when he scored the goal, and I think it was unnecessary." Despite being an Arsenal fan, Richards felt that Gabriel should have taken the higher road and avoided the taunt.
However, Shearer was quick to defend Gabriel, dismissing Richards’ concerns. "Oh, what a load of s***. Let him do it if he wants to," Shearer responded. Richards, in a playful tone, joked that Shearer had been influenced by fellow Arsenal legend Ian Wright’s more lenient stance on celebrations, before elaborating on his thoughts. "I love his confidence, but why is a defender even thinking about doing a Gyokeres celebration?" Richards asked. "Gabriel, I love you, but you shouldn’t be doing that."
Gary Lineker, who hosted the podcast, took a more diplomatic stance, suggesting that Gyokeres might actually feel flattered by the tribute. "I’d actually be quite flattered if I were Gyokeres," he commented, adding that it was a bit of fun rather than something to take offense to.
Gyokeres himself responded to the situation after the match, quipping, "He’s welcome to steal it if he can’t create his own celebration!" He seemed unbothered, adding that it was amusing Gabriel chose to replicate his trademark move.
This lighthearted moment could be a response to a similar incident in 2023 when Sporting’s Pedro Gonçalves mocked Granit Xhaka’s celebration after eliminating Arsenal from the Europa League. Despite the controversy, Arsenal's win over Sporting CP was dominant, and they remain well positioned in the Champions League group stage with three games to play.
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