Cristiano Ronaldo's 'Siuu' celebration might have been born after Man United goal in 2008 | OneFootball

Name a more iconic celebration in football history than Cristiano Ronaldo’s ‘Siuu’. We’ll wait.

The Manchester United superstar has made his mid-air pirouette celebration his trademark move.

And it’s attracted a life of its own. It’s been copied by a host of other footballers, including Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr. and Emmanuel Dennis.

It’s even been seen in other sports. NFL player Lamarr Houston tried it in 2014, although he ended up tearing his ACL in the process.

1 of 12

When did Cristiano Ronaldo make his debut for Manchester United?

2002 2003 2005 2007

Ronaldo's iconic celebration

So, what’s it all about?

“I started to say ‘si’, it’s like ‘yes’, when I was in Real Madrid,” Ronaldo said in an interview in 2019, per Man Utd’s website.

“When we would win, everyone would say ‘siiiii’ and so I started to say it. I don’t know why, it was natural.”

It’s a unique move befitting of Ronaldo’s status as one of the game’s greatest entertainers. The anticipation that builds inside the stadium when he darts off to perform it is something else.

The origins of the move can be traced back several years.

It became a regular part of Ronaldo’s routine during his time at Real Madrid, but a video has surfaced that suggests he was perfecting it in his first stint at Man United.

Ronaldo scored a hat-trick for the Red Devils in a thumping 6-0 win against Newcastle United in 2008.

After his first goal, a free-kick that went underneath the wall, he wheeled off to celebrate.

Ronaldo was swarmed by his teammates, so he couldn’t perform the full mid-air spin, but you can see him raise his arms above his head and bring them down again, as he does today.

It’s a half-Siuu, but the beginning of something special.

“The great celebration has begun,” wrote one fan in the comments.

“Who knows this will become the most iconic celebration ever,” wrote another.

“A foreshadowing of things to come,” a third comment read.

The move continued to develop and in 2013, we saw the ‘Siuu’ as it is appears today.

It came after Ronaldo scored a header for Real Madrid in a 2013 pre-season friendly against Chelsea.

“I was in the USA and we played against Chelsea and I don’t know where this is coming from, the celebration,” Ronaldo recalled.

“I just scored the goal and it just came out. It was just natural, to be honest. Since that, I started to do it more often and I feel like the supporters and the fans see it and they’re like ‘Cristiano, siiiiiiuuuu’.

“I’m like ‘wow! People are reminded of me because of it!’

“So it’s good, and I’ll continue doing it like that.”

Now, the move is performed by Ronaldo fans around the world.