Goals are hard to come by in football, so when they do, players make sure to celebrate them.
While many opt for the basic fist pump or joyous leap when they hit the back of the net, some footballers take their celebrations to another level, with a few even choreographing their own dance moves.
Think Paul Pogba's classic 'Dab' routine, Cristiano Ronaldo's 'Siu!' pirouette or Erling Haaland's 'Meditation' pose. A new celebration emerged into football's consciousness in 2022 - 'The Griddy'. GOAL brings you everything you need to know about it.
What is 'The Griddy'?
'The Griddy' is a dance move that has been used as a celebration by athletes across a number of sports.
A host of NFL stars began doing the dance as a touchdown celebration in 2020 and it became a regular feature in the sport into 2021, with a number of soccer stars subsequently emulating it in 2022.
Which footballers do 'The Griddy'?
Chelsea and USMNT star Christian Pulisic is one of the biggest names to 'hit The Griddy' in football, having used it as a celebration in a Champions League match against Lille in February.
Pulisic scored the Blues' second goal of the game in a 2-0 victory against Lille at Stamford Bridge and proceeded to attempt the popular dance as he made his way to the corner flag in front of the fans.
The USMNT official Twitter account subsequently tweeted, "Hit the Griddy, CP", to which the official Chelsea Twitter account replied, "Not sure what this is, but we're here for it."
While Pulisic is no doubt very familiar with the NFL and thus The Griddy dance, he may not necessarily be allowed to take credit for introducing it to football in Europe, with Manchester United youngster Anthony Elanga previously performing it in January.
The Red Devils youngster, whose exploits have already prompted Manchester United fans to sing a dedicated song about him, has excitedly performed the dance after scoring against Brentford in the Premier League and Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.
It is not just current stars who are getting in on the act. Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher peformed the dance as part of CBS Sports' Champions League coverage with the help of former England star Alex Scott.
Carragher's attempt at 'The Griddy' left Arsenal legend Thierry Henry visibly unimpressed as he shook his head in disbelief at the rendition.
Who invented 'The Griddy' dance?
Allen 'Griddy' Davis is credited as the creator of 'The Griddy' dance.
A friend of Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase, Davis' dance moves first appeared on social media platform Snapchat before Chase began performing it in celebration during his time with LSU.
A number of other NFL star players began to mimic the dance, including Justin Jefferson, Will Fuller, Tytus Howard and Keke Coutee, among others.
Speaking to KPRC2 in 2020, Davis, who plays American Football himself, said: "For them to do my dance, I feel lit!"
Even though he did not invent the dance, Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jefferson was added to the popular video game Fortnite with the dance, becoming the first NFL player to do so.
He recently reflected on why he first did the dance, telling ESPN: "That first touchdown, I kind of had to make mine memorable, so people know I'm the king of The Griddy!"
How to do 'The Griddy'
Jefferson has given plenty of instructions for how to do The Griddy dance.
- Tap the heels
- Swing the arms back and forth
- 'Throw your Bs' (make glasses)
- Speed it up
The dance involves tapping the ground with the back of your heels while simultaneously swinging your arms back and forth. Then, the next step is to make a pair of glasses with your hands up to your face, also referred to as to 'Throw your Bs'. Once you have the hang of it, the next thing is to speed it all up.
So there you are, give it a go!
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