Decoding Jude Bellingham and Trent Alexander-Arnold's special celebration

Jude Bellingham and Trent Alexander-Arnold's goal celebrations took a week to perfect and took just 13 minutes during the match against Serbia to be unveiled to thousands of fans.

After the Real Madrid midfielder scored, the two agreed on a way to celebrate by kneeling, bowing their heads and raising their hands in front of their faces in the shape of a wolf. This celebration quickly became a phenomenon on social media.

Close-up of the special celebration between Jude Bellingham and Trent Alexander-Arnold. Photo: AFP — A special celebration between Jude Bellingham and Trent Alexander-Arnold. Photo: AFP

After the match, Jude Bellingham explained the celebration was a reference to a game called “Wolf” that the England team often play together.

"It's really a celebration for the backroom staff who work hard every day but don't get the same awards or moments of glory as we do on the pitch. We value them so much and it's important to keep that atmosphere going throughout the tournament," said Jude Bellingham.

Besides, the star born in 2003 also said that the person mentioned in this celebration was Eddie Keogh, the photographer of the England team.

For his first goal at the EURO, Bellingham performed four different celebrations. First, the 21-year-old star ran to the corner of the pitch and pointed to his ear, then slid down on his knees, then made a “hero” pose with his arms outstretched. Finally, the “Wolf” celebration with Alexander-Arnold. Since the 2022 World Cup, the England team has maintained the habit of playing the “Wolf” game in every training session.

Harry Kane once shared: “There were about 16-17 people in the team playing. It became a way for us to relax after training. It also helped to improve team spirit. When you hold the wolf card, you have to start lying and it is not easy, so I think I am a better villager than a wolf.”

Bellingham and Alexander-Arnold have also practiced a variety of other celebrations in training, including shaking hands, pointing to the sky and taking turns blowing on their hands as if to extinguish a fire. Fans of the Three Lions are looking forward to the next goals from England so they can see more impressive celebrations like the one in the match against Serbia.

Before Bellingham and Alexander-Arnold, England also often left behind goal celebrations in the past. At EURO 1996, Paul Gascoigne made an impression with his “dentist chair” celebration. Or Peter Crouch with his robot dance to express his joy of scoring a goal.

Paul Gascoigne's "dentist's chair" celebration after scoring against Scotland at EURO 1996. Photo: England Football Team

Looking at England's performance against Serbia, perhaps Southgate and his students need to see more of Bellingham's celebrations in the coming weeks if they are to end their 58-year wait for international glory.

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