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Nicolas Jackson explains the ‘Siiuu’ celebration against Tottenham and how he made his own CR7 jerseys as a kid.
Chelsea star Nicolas Jackson has opened up about his childhood admiration for Cristiano Ronaldo, shedding light on the inspiration behind his ‘Siuuu’ celebration during the dazzling 4-1 victory over Tottenham.
In North London, Jackson’s third goal was punctuated by the iconic ‘Siu’ celebration, a homage to the Portuguese talisman and Jackson’s childhood idol. The Senegalese player disclosed his profound admiration for Ronaldo, dating back to his early years, recounting how he crafted his own CR7 shirt with a marker as a child. This gesture was a heartfelt acknowledgment of the impact Ronaldo had on Jackson’s footballing journey.
Speaking to The Telegraph, he said, “When I was growing up, I loved Cristiano Ronaldo. I had his name on a shirt that I always wore. Not an actual shirt because they are expensive, so you don’t buy them. But I had a shirt that I put 7, Ronaldo on with a pen. I did it myself when I was a kid.
“Of course, I would pretend to be him, but it was difficult to watch his games because you needed to pay. We would go to my friend’s house, everybody. We would watch in a large group, never just with one person in the house. All my friends, we’d all go to one house to watch Real Madrid.”
Jackson scored his first career hat-trick against Ange Postecoglou’s players, and he declared that if he could replicate his exploits, he would once more perform the “Siu.”
“I always did his celebration, even when I was at Villarreal and I scored two goals. So when I got a hat-trick, I had to do it. Now I’ll only do it for hat-tricks, not every goal,” he said.
“It was my first career hat-trick. It was very special. The ball is in my lounge so everyone can see it. I hope there will be many more, but the first one is always very important and I will try to keep it very safe.”
Ronaldo’s Siu celebration has now become a global phenomenon which cuts across sporting disciplines. Jackson’s story highlights the profound impact football idols can have on young players. Nonetheless, it feels unreal that now Chelsea fans would be hoping to see more of the ‘Siu’ celebration in the future, albeit from Jackson.