Nobody in the Premier League enjoys celebrating like Thierno Barry The only reason to tune in to an Everton match

Over the past few weeks, one of the most incredible and absurd statistics I have ever come across has been circulating on X: since the turn of the century, only one club among the 92 professional teams in the UK has failed to celebrate either winning a trophy or securing promotion. That club is Everton. I can't say I was entirely surprised. Right now, there is no club more boring than Everton. And I don't mean in terms of football. I mean in terms of hype, ambition and the ability to build a brand.

It's true, they have opened a billion-euro stadium, a veritable cathedral overlooking the docks. And yet, it is home to a club that has been following the same script for years: low expectations at the start of every new Premier League season, only to see them consistently exceeded in the most underwhelming way. When things go well, Everton secure a comfortable mid-table finish; when they don't, you have to wait until the final day of the season to find out whether they will stay in the top flight. But 2026 has brought us a rather unexpected surprise, because we finally have a reason to tune in to Everton's matches: Thierno Barry's goal celebrations.

From Pogba's dab to football's new rituals

In their latest Premier League match against Newcastle, Barry scored his fourth league goal and his eighth of the season across all competitions. After putting the ball in the back of the net, Barry performed his trademark celebration: sliding on his knees, the legendary power slide described by Jack Black in School of Rock. But that's not what makes his celebrations special. It's what happens next.

Every goal comes with something new. At St James' Park, for example, it was a dance, a barely sketched-out routine featuring a forward arm movement accompanied by a few little hops on the spot. A different routine for every goal, drawing inspiration from social media memes and other viral trends. The highlight, however, came last October 11, during the match away at Hull City, when Barry seemingly brought the dab back to a football pitch for the first time in ten years. A tribute to Paul Pogba's iconic celebration.

Why Barry's celebrations are a little bit of magic

I can perfectly understand the discomfort and frustration of those who watch these videos and can only think that the game is gone. That football has lost its respect for the game and its traditions. That these dances have no place in the sport. Perhaps they even say all this in Sean Dyche's trademark gravelly voice. Fair enough, everyone is entitled to their opinion. I have just one request: let us enjoy these little moments. I've been fortunate enough to turn my passion into a job, but at the same time, trying to stay as up to date as possible often means watching highlights or sitting through 90 minutes of matches I would never have watched otherwise. Coming across a footballer who is genuinely happy to dance after scoring a goal, and having the chance to write about it, is what makes this job special on certain days.

Putting the personal side of things aside, there is also the fact that we are living in an era of trademarked goal celebrations that become brands, where every footballer has a signature move to repeat over and over again, almost like a WWE wrestler's catchphrase. Barry, however, takes this concept and turns it on its head. Everyone knows that a special celebration will follow one of his goals, but nobody knows what it will be. And he probably doesn't know either until the embraces with his teammates have come to an end. But when it finally happens, a little bit of magic unfolds, and it becomes perfectly clear that nobody enjoys celebrating a goal quite as much as he does.