OK. Who knew Jamie Vardy had this in his locker?
Vardy scored the first Premier League goal of 2019 and it proved decisive as Leicester claimed a crucial 1-0 victory over Everton on New Year’s Day.
The Foxes striker ensured the visitors would leave Goodison Park with all three points after opening the scoring on the hour-mark of the day’s early kick-off.
The quality of Vardy’s goal was perhaps exceeded by the impressiveness of his celebration, however, as he took to the air in remarkable fashion.
Vardy first cartwheeled before breaking out a shock backflip, surprising many with his incredible show of athleticism.
The English striker was asked where the new celebration had come from and admitted that he had been waiting for a special occasion to break it out.
He said: “I’ve had it in the locker for a while but saved it for a special occasion, and what better than New Year’s Day? New Year, new me.”
Vardy was trolled by his wife, Rebekah, for his acrobatic display.
https://twitter.com/RebekahVardy/status/1080099423496097792
In the past, we’ve seen the likes of Nani, Lomana Lua Lua, Obafemi Martins and Miroslav Klose backflip after finding the net but managers haven’t always been pleased about their players risking injury with such over-the-top celebrations.
In 2014, Fifa considered outlawing backflip celebrations following the tragic death of Peter Biaksangzuala, who suffered spinal injuries when a flip went wrong, but that rule never ended up coming into effect.
