A love of the Gladiator movie is the reason for Paulo Dybala’s now-famous mask celebration.
Alan Shearer’s hand raise, Gareth Bale’s heart shape and Cristiano Ronaldo’s ‘right here, right now’ are just some of the famous celebrations we’ve seen over the years.
And just like his Juventus team-mate Ronaldo, Dybala has developed an iconic celebration of his own in recent years.
The 25-year-old uses his thumb and index finger to form a ‘mask’ after scoring a goal, and the Argentinean has explained how his celebration was formed.
Paulo Dybala at the launch of the new adidas COPA 19+
“The celebration was born after I missed a penalty in the Supercoppa Italia against AC Milan that made us lose the final,” Dybala revealed, referring to the 2017 final against their Serie A rivals, in which he missed the decisive spot-kick in a shootout loss.
“I went to my vacations really disappointed for what had happened, so I tried to move forward.
“I am passionate about Gladiator and always saw they used masks to go and fight.
“So I said to myself that in the next game, if I scored, I had to celebrate like a gladiator, and it was then where the mask was born and started, and until this day, I take it with me.”
Dybala was speaking at the launch of the new adidas COPA 19+, a boot who debuted in the UEFA Champions League against Manchester United earlier this month. Check out the interview below: