Gary Neville has discussed his infamous celebration while playing for Manchester United against Liverpool in 2006.
Neville was fined by the Football Association after United beat Liverpool __with a late winner from Rio Ferdinand in January 2006, __with the right-back’s celebrations coming under scrutiny.
He ran the length of the Old Trafford pitch and kissed the United badge on his shirt, and was criticised and punished for his actions.
Writing on The Players’ Tribune, Neville has explained his celebration.
‘For 89 minutes, the travelling Liverpool fans had been singing unprintable songs about me and my mum,’ he wrote. ‘It was 0-0. We won a free kick just outside the Liverpool box. Ryan Giggs was standing over the ball.
‘In that moment, your mind, your body, your focus are on another level. It’s different from Arsenal. It’s different from Chelsea. It’s even different from City, at least for me. It’s almost an out of body experience. The tension is immense.
‘It’s a match that’s been in the back of your mind for the last two weeks, in the front of your mind for the last week, and punching you straight on the nose for the last three days.
‘If you beat Liverpool, it’s going to be the best day of the season.
‘If you lose, it’s going to be the absolute worst.
‘So in the 90th minute, Giggsy is standing over the ball, and all I remember is him bending it into the box, Rio Ferdinand rising up, and the ball hitting the back of the net. The place exploded. The rest was just instinct.
‘I turned toward the Liverpool fans in the far corner of the ground and I thought, “I’m going for them”.
‘I sprinted 60-odd yards, and I was just out of my head. When I got to them, well…
‘I looked at the faces of all those travelling fans who had been singing for 89 minutes, and in that moment, they had no answer. Absolutely no answer. It was one of the best feelings of my life.
‘The FA fined me £5,000 for my actions. I’d gladly pay it again a hundred times.
‘Back then, I remember some very serious people saying things like, “That’s not the behaviour of a 30-year-old man”.
‘They were right. And that’s what makes football so magical. For 90 minutes, you get to be a kid again. That’s what we all dreamed about, isn’t it?’