Cristiano Ronaldo’s extremely popular goal celebration Siuuu meaning is ‘Yes!’ in Spanish. It is one of the most iconic goal celebrations in the world of football and several athletes and fans have performed it on numerous occasions.
If you’re a sports follower, the chances are that you are familiar with the famous ‘Siuuu’ celebration. Maybe you’ve seen someone doing the jump and spin in the air and then landing with arms outstretched by the sides and recognized instantly that it is the goal celebration of Cristiano Ronaldo.
It goes without saying that Ronaldo is one of the most popular people on the planet and every time someone shouts ‘Siuuu’ people are reminded of Ronaldo. The noise he makes in the follow-up of the goal celebration has also become something of an international phenomenon.
But what is this goal celebration, how did he start doing it like that and more importantly, what is Siuuu meaning?
Siuuu meaning and the origin of Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal celebration
Cristiano Ronaldo’s trademark goal celebration sees him jumping and performing a mid-air pirouette before landing with outstretched arms and shouting ‘Siuuu’ which is Spanish for ‘Yes!’ explaining the delight after scoring a goal. As he starts his run-up after scoring a goal and jumps in the air, the supporters and the fans in the crowd usually join in his celebration and scream ‘Siuuu’ in unison, making it a loud roar that reverberates throughout the stadium.
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But how did it begin and why did he start celebrating his goals that way?
“I started to say ‘si’, it’s like ‘yes’, when I was in Real Madrid,” he once explained in an interview.
“I was in the USA and we played against Chelsea and I don’t know where this is coming from, the celebration. I just scored the goal and it just came out. It was just natural, to be honest. Since that, I started to do it more often and I feel like the supporters and the fans see it and they’re like ‘Cristiano, siiiiiiuuuu’.
“I’m like ‘wow! People are reminded of me because of it!’ So it’s good, and I’ll continue doing it like that.”
When we win, everyone says ‘Siuuu’ and I started to say it, I don’t know why. It was natural,” said Ronaldo to DAZN Italia. “I scored a goal and I did that [the celebration]. People asked me why did I do it and I don’t know why. It was natural! Because I always say, the best things come in a natural way,” added the Portuguese superstar.
Since then, it has become an essential personal branding tool for Ronaldo where he reminds his fans of his presence on the football pitch and beyond. He infamously screamed ‘Siuuu’ after collecting the top award at the 2014 Ballon d’Or ceremony ahead of rival Lionel Messi.
It prompted a mixed response in the crowd with many left bewildered and puzzled, and FIFA’s official translator getting taken aback by it. In the crowd was his then-Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti who started laughing.
“The scream? The players know I always do that shout when I score a goal or when we win,” Ronaldo told Spanish TV station Cuatro afterwards. “It’s our shout, from Real Madrid.”
The celebration may have begun in Real Madrid and with its players being heavily involved in the origin of it, but Ronaldo took the goal celebration with him to Turin after signing for Juventus in 2018 and later to the Old Trafford in Manchester as well.
How does Cristiano Ronaldo do the Siuuu goal celebration
What makes Cristiano Ronaldo’s Siuuu goal celebration is the simplicity of it. Anybody can do it. In order to do his celebration, you need to take a little run up and jump with the momentum. While in air, turn your body in a pirouette and land with outstretched legs and hands.
The position of the legs is extremely crucial. They need to be stretched wide in a ‘power stance’ to emphasise on a kind of ‘superhero landing.’ Then the arms need to come in an X shape across the chest and finish wide and outstretched.
The last part of the celebration is probably the most crucial. The back needs to be to the fans so that they can clearly see the name and number. The final flourish of the celebration is to shout ‘Siuuu’!
Famous instances of other athletes and footballers imitating the celebration
Of course, given the international phenomenon that Cristiano Ronaldo’s Siuuu celebration has become, several athletes and footballers have also jumped in on it because of either admiration for Ronaldo or to rub it in his face while playing for the opposition.
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Serbian international Marko Grujic performed a rendition of the Siuuu celebration in 2019 after scoring for Hertha Berlin against FC Schalke. “Pure emotion. I could not control it, it just happened like that. I look up to Ronaldo. He is a great role model for me because he works obsessively on his development.”
“I love to live as professionally as possible and to prioritise everything else after it. Messi may be the more talented player, but Ronaldo has worked it all out.”
Grujic is, of course, only one of several footballers to have borrowed his goal celebration. Ronaldo’s former Real Madrid teammate Sergio Ramos copied his Siuuu after scoring goals against Atletico Madrid and Osasuna in La Liga. He also decided to point to the name on his back after completing the leap and turn.
Paulo Dybala added his “gladiator mask” celebration to the Siu after opening the scoring for Juventus against Frosinone on February 15, 2019. In response, Ronaldo performed Dybala’s gladiator mask celebration after scoring along with him.
In a pre-season friendly in July 2019, members of an All-Star Team from South Korea’s top flight decided to engage in a mass ‘Siuuu’ following a goal against Juventus. Ronaldo, who was on the bench for the friendly, mustered a small smile at the tribute.
Club Bruges’ Emmanuel Dennis, Southampton’s James Ward-Prowse, Juventus’ Federico Chiesa, Manchester United’s Jesse Lingard, and Fulham’s Joao Palhinha are some of the other footballers who have done the Siuuu celebration.
The ‘Siuuu’ celebration became a talking point during the recently held FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar as well. During the match between Portugal and Ghana, substitute Osman Bukari scored a goal in the 89th minute to give Ghana some hope of a comeback and he ran towards the sideline and did the ‘Siuuu’ celebration.
By that stage Ronaldo was a spectator on the Portugal bench, having been taken off. As the cameras cut to him, he looked visibly irritated and disgusted by his opponent trying to rub it in.
Of course, various non-football personalities have also done the famous ‘Siuuu’ celebration over the years. Tennis superstar Novak Djokovic performed Ronaldo’s celebration after tackling the Nitto ATP Finals Pyramid Challenge. Indian and South African cricketers Mohammed Siraj and Wayne Parnell often perform Ronaldo’s jump and spin and Siuuu celebration after taking wickets while another iconic cricketer Chris Gayle has done that after scoring a century.
Odell Beckham Jr. also pulled off a famous ‘Siuuu’ after completing a 67 yards touchdown against Atlanta Falcons in 2015.
| Cristiano Ronaldo career | Club | International | All-time |
| Appearances | 949 | 196 | 1145 |
| Goals | 701 | 118 | 819 |
| Assists | 201 | 33 | 234 |
| Trophies | 32 | 2 | 34 |
FAQs
Which club does Cristiano Ronaldo play for now?
Cristiano Ronaldo is currently without a club after being released from his contract at Manchester United. The Portuguese superstar did an infamous interview with Piers Morgan where he criticised the club, its executives as well as disrespecting head coach Erik ten Hag. The decision to terminate his contract was taken immediately after that.
When did Cristiano Ronaldo first do the siuuu celebration?
Cristiano Ronaldo started doing the Siuuu celebration when he was still playing at Real Madrid. In a pre-season friendly against Chelsea in 2013, he performed it for the first time and it has stuck ever since.
What does Siuuu mean?
‘Siuuu’ means a resounding ‘Yes!’ in Spanish.
