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Nieuws
- 32 minutes ago
Why does Viktor Gyokeres do his 'mask' celebration?
Martin Macdonald
- Updated: 3 Feb 2026 05:26 CST
- 6 min read
Nieuws
Viktor Gyokeres has, sort of, revealed the origins to his 'mask' celebration after scoring a goal.
Even though he has been steady if not spectacular in an Arsenal jersey since his big-money move from Sporting CP last summer, he is certainly no stranger to finding the back of the net.
In 102 appearances for the Portguese giants, he scored a mightily impressive 97 goals and the majority of those goals were followed by his celebration which sees him interlock his fingers over his face to form a mask.
It seems he was inspired by Batman's nemesis Bane, played by Tom Hardy in 'The Dark Knight Rises'.
“I was with my friends and they were on at me because I was always celebrating in different ways, and I think they were a bit tired to see that," he told CBS Sports.
"They wanted me to get my own celebration. I also thought it was a good idea.
“We came together with the one I have now. I think it was a pretty good one to do. I have enjoyed doing it, and still do. It’s been amazing. I’m not sure if I said it was Bane, but it can be.”
Interestingly, he previously denied it was actually Bane that proved his inspiration.
“No,” he told reporters in 2023 when asked about it it.
“That’s a good guess but you’re completely wrong. You can have another guess the next time you interview me.. It’s fun when you guess wrong so I’ll keep doing it.”
Even if the DC Comics villain wasn't the original inspiration, Gyokeres has certainly embraced it. He previously captioned a picture of himself on Instagram with the phrase 'Nobody cared until I put on the mask' which paraphrases Bane in the second of Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy.
Gyokeres' slow start
Gyokeres has had a tough start to life at Arsenal and many have questioned whether he is suitable for the club's style of play under Mikel Arteta.
Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher suggested that Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz are better options through the middle for The Gunners.
The Swede appears relatively calm about his situation, however.
“I've enjoyed it since I came here. It's been challenging at times, but I've been improving a lot, try to learn as much as possible with the team and in the club," he explained.
"I've been enjoying it, but of course it's been a challenge.
“It was the same when I moved to Portugal, it didn't work perfectly from the beginning, there was also a period where I have to adjust to the style and how they want to play.
"It's the same thing here. It's a bit different. You have to adapt and embrace it.
“For me the most important thing is that we win games and that we perform as a team. Of course I want to contribute with what I'm good at when I play, I try to do that as much as possible. There's still time for me to show that I'm capable of doing even more than I've done so far.”
For his new club, Gyokeres has scored 11 goals in 30 appearances.
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