The main goal of football is to score goals, which is why they are so well-deservedly praised. Football differs from most other sports in that scoring goals is difficult, and there is no sport that compares to the joy of scoring.
Goal celebrations aren't always received as joyful expressions, and some players use them to respond to criticism, promote political views, or simply to bait opponents. Sometimes they are simply divisive.
Here are six celebrations that cost a player far more than just a yellow card.
Gascoigne, Paul
During a game against Celtic at Celtic Park in January 1998, Rangers midfielder Paul Gascoigne sparked outrage by miming playing a flute (symbolizing the flute-playing of Loyalist Orange Order marchers).
The gesture infuriated Celtic fans who had been taunting him, and Rangers fined Gascoigne £20,000 after the incident.
Tevez, Carlos
During the 2004 Copa Libertadores, Boca Juniors striker Carlos Tevez was sent off for imitating a chicken while celebrating a goal against arch-rivals River Plate, clearly mocking the opposition crowd, with River dubbed 'Gallinas' ('chickens') by other fans for choking late on.
Di Canio, Paolo
Paolo Di Canio made a name for himself in 2005, when he gave a fascist salute to Lazio's right-wing fans. As a result, he was fined and suspended.
Adebayor, Emmanuel
Manchester City striker Emmanuel Adebayor received a yellow card in a Premier League match between Manchester City and Arsenal in 2009 for running the length of the pitch to celebrate his goal in front of the Arsenal fans. This was deemed controversial because Adebayor had joined Manchester City from Arsenal that summer.
Katidis, Giorgos
After scoring the game-winning goal against Veria in March 2013, AEK Athens midfielder Giorgos Katidis made a Nazi salute to the crowd. Despite later claiming ignorance of the gesture's significance, Katidis was fined €50,000, barred from playing for AEK for the rest of the season, and barred from representing Greece at the international level for the rest of his life.
Fowler, Robbie
Robbie Fowler's penalty against Everton was celebrated by pretending the byline was made of cocaine. Following the incident, he was fined a record £32,000 and banned for four matches. It most likely cost him the Premier League Golden Boot in 1998/99. He did this because fans accused him of being a heavy cocaine user.
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