The curse of the ex-player kicked Chelsea where it hurt yesterday when Frank Lampard scored a late equaliser for his new club, Man City. It was a cruel blow for Jose Mourinho’s men but at least Lampard played a blinder with his superb dead-pan non-celebration, thus avoiding the rubbing of salt into wounds. It followed in the respectful tradition of ex-players who have scored against their former clubs, although there have been numerous exceptions to the rule.
Probably the earliest and best example of the respectful non-celebration came in the Manchester derby in 1974. The great Denis Law was player in City blue but was a United legend formerly known as the ‘King’ of the Stretford End. United were a pale imitation of the team that had won the European Cup 6 years earlier and Law himself had his best days behind him. It was Law who scored the decisive goal that meant that United were relegated into the old Division Two but it was difficult to work out who was the most traumatised by that goal - club or player.
Aaron Ramsey was a Cardiff City protégé who had played in the 2008 FA Cup Final for the club that had nurtured and developed him from spotty schoolboy to prodigious youth. Ramsey moved to Arsenal in 2008 where he suffered a terrible leg-break before rebuilding his fitness and form over a few seasons. By the start of the 2013-14 season, Ramsey was on fire and it was inevitable that he would score on his return to Cardiff, who had been promoted from the Championship the previous season. The downward look, blank expression and heavy trudge back to his own half was a masterclass in non-celebration.
Ronaldo is widely respected as one of the best players in the World and is regarded as a demi-God by both his current club and former one, Real Madrid and Manchester United respectively. The Portuguese goal-machine was the focal point of attention when the two clubs were drawn together in the quarter-finals of the Champions League in 2013. With the game evenly poised, the second-leg at Old Trafford was a tense affair until CR7 slotted the winning goal in the 2-1 win over the Red Devils. A superb demonstration of apologetic deference followed, with the full palms on show and sorrowful grimace on his face. Well played Ron.
Robin Van Persie was Arsenal’s captain and biggest star when he upped sticks and went to Manchester to win the Premier League, which he did in his first season. Understandably, this made Arsenal supporters very angry indeed and this anger was wisely not fanned by any overt celebrations when RVP played and scored against Wenger’s men the first time their paths crossed in 2012. This ‘entente cordial’ was obviously not a long-term deal judging by the exaggerated ostentatious celebrations that followed the Dutch master’s winning goal that divided the two teams the following season.
Last but by no means least we arrive at the man who added ‘less’ onto the word ‘class’ when it comes to players celebrating a goal against their former club. Emmanuel Adebayor is now plying his trade with Tottenham which is no surprise given his frothing hatred for his former club. Sold by Arsenal to the nouveau riche Man City for £24m, Adebayor took on the personae of a ‘woman scorned’ in the aftermath of his move and was clearly in the mood to make the Gunners ‘pay’ for their temerity in disposing of his services. When City met Arsenal in a league encounter he scored the obligatory goal and then galloped like a runaway horse towards the away end. The rest as they say is history...
