The meaning behind Viktor Gyokeres' celebration was a mystery for a number of years, but the Swede has finally provided a comic book-inspired explanation.
Since joining Sporting Lisbon from Championship side Coventry City in 2023 for around £21 million, Gyokores has become one of Europe's deadliest strikers under the guidance of Ruben Amorim.
So far this season, he has netted 23 goals in 16 games for the Portuguese club – a run of form that has brought serious interest from several clubs, including Manchester United.
In fact, after Amorim succeeded Erik ten Hag as United head coach, Gyokores has been relentlessly linked with a transfer to Old Trafford.
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The Sweden international recently broke his silence on the rumours.
"He [Amorim] probably has some strikers there already, so we’ll see," the 26-year-old said. "No, he hasn’t [contacted me]. It’s fun but nothing I attach any importance to because it’s talk and nothing concrete."
As a result of Gyokeres' rise, curiosity over his 'mask' celebration has naturally increased.
More often than not, the striker locks his fingers together on both hands after he scores, before holding it up to his face to create a mask covering his mouth and nose.
Former Coventry teammate Josh Eccles joked that the celebration could reference Hannibal Lecter, a film character known for his dark past. “Hannibal eats people, and Viktor destroys defenses,” Eccles said.
However, in an Instagram post, Gyokeres put the rumours to bed when he shared a video compilation of his goals with the caption: “Nobody cared until I put on the mask."
That line is memorably delivered by Bane, who is often credited as the only villain to have bested Batman both physically and mentally.
Bane, of course, is a masked super villain that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character has appeared in Batman: Vengeance of Bane and The Dark Knight Rises.
As mentioned earlier, Gyokeres continues to be linked with a move to Manchester United.
Speaking after Sporting’s win over City in the Champions League, Ruben Amorim was asked directly whether he was interested in bringing Gyokeres to Old Trafford.
"I’ve just made peace with the Sporting fans, I’m not even going to make a joke about it," he said. "Gyokeres is a Sporting player, which is a great club, he did a lot for it, he was in the second division, he just has to stay and finish the season at Marques."
When asked the same question in another interview, Amorim replied: "No, no, no. I cannot be funny with that in this moment."
He added: "It was tough for me to leave, if I start joking about that with Gyokeres, I’ll have problems. This is my city, this is my country, I will respect. Viktor has to stay until the end of the season and then his life is going, maybe, somewhere else."
Topics: Manchester United, Sporting CP, Ruben Amorim
Jack Kenmare