Phil Foden Reveals Meaning Behind his Goal Celebration

Highlights

• Phil Foden continues to shine for Manchester City, with his goal-scoring prowess taking him to new heights in the 2023/24 season.
• The English midfielder’s unique goal celebration stems from being dubbed the ‘Sniper’ by his Man City teammates due to his shooting skills.
• Foden’s exceptional performances have positioned him as a contender for Player of the Season.

Phil Foden has become a regular source of goals for Manchester City in the 2023/24 Premier League season. The English midfielder most recently bagged a brace in the English champions’ 3-1 Manchester derby success, and the reason behind his new goal celebration was revealed during his post-match interview.

The 23-year-old has scored 18 goals in all competitions at the time of writing, with 11 of those strikes coming in the Premier League. This already equals his haul for the entire league campaign in 2022/23, with more than 10 matches left to play.

During February’s 3-1 victory over Brentford, the England midfielder netted a hat-trick as the champions came from behind to earn all three points, and fans noticed Foden pulled out a new celebration that hadn’t been seen before. The Brentford Community Stadium was the first Premier League ground to witness the latest celebration Foden has added to his repertoire.

Following the victory over the Red Devils, the reason behind his goal celebration was revealed in a funny joint post-match interview with Foden and Kyle Walker.

Phil Foden explains ‘gun’ celebration

It stems from a nickname he’s been given

The England international celebrates by dropping to one knee and imitating holding a gun in his hands. Many fans may be unaware and confused at the origin behind this new move, but all has now been revealed. It all started with his clubmates winding him up for his appetite for an effort on goal.

Speaking to Sky Sports after their win against Manchester United, Walker revealed his teammate’s celebration comes from a nickname he was christened with by his Man City colleagues on the training ground. The right-back said: “We call him the ‘Sniper’ because he likes to shoot,” before bursting into laughter.

When asked by the interviewer if that was where it all started, Foden added: “Yeah, that’s the celebration.” It’s something Premier League fans may have to get used to as he doesn’t look like slowing down in front of goal.

Per the Manchester Evening News, Foden had previously said: “They say I shoot a lot in the five-a-side games. They call me the ‘Sniper’,” when asked about his new celebration in the game against Brentford.

Foden’s wonderful season

He could be in contention for Player of the Season

Man City have a squad full of world-class talent, but Foden has been the jewel in the crown to date in the 2023/24 season as he has been wonderful to watch on both the domestic and continental stages. He has been the driving force behind the Citizen’s attempts to retain their historic treble.

Kevin De Bruyne’s injury issues in the first half of the campaign allowed the Englishman to move into a more central role to have a greater influence on games for the reigning European and English champions. He is rapidly closing in on 20 goals in all competitions and has entered into recent debates about world-class players.

Gareth Southgate will surely be looking at ways to fit Foden into his extremely talented array of attacking options for the upcoming Euro 2024 tournament.