Kai Havertz is in the headlines following his execution of a signature celebration after scoring for Arsenal in their dominant win over his former club Chelsea with many wanting to know its meaning
The 24-year-old German forward has been in outstanding form for the Gunners, as he contributed 2 goals to their resounding 5-0 victory at the Emirates Stadium during yesterday’s match.
The 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) tall player helped in extending Arsenal’s lead at the top of the league by 3 points. Declan Rice got things started with an early goal in the 5th minute, and Ben White doubled Arsenal’s lead shortly after halftime.
Kai Havertz goal celebration meaning explained and why does he copy Neymar Jr
However, Havertz scored his first goal 5 minutes later, set up by a brilliant pass from Martin Odegaard. He shrugged off Chelsea’s Marc Cucurella, deftly switched to his left foot, and fired into the net, bringing the score to 3-0.
He then ran towards the Arsenal fans and celebrated by shaking his hands near his ears, a move that has become synonymous with him.
Martin Odegaard doing the Kai Havertz celebration 🖐️😛✋pic.twitter.com/hOon1sl98r
— AFC_Adi (@AFC_Adi06) April 24, 2024
About the Origin of Kai Havertz Celebration
For those wondering about the meaning and origin of Kai Havertz’ Celebration, let us tell you, earlier this year, during an interview on Arsenal’s official YouTube handle, the £65 million transfer from Chelsea explained the origin of his celebration.
In the interview, Havertz mentioned that the inspiration for the celebration came from Neymar, but it was Marvin Ducksch, a player from Werder Bremen, who asked him to use it.
Havertz recalled sitting next to Ducksch on the team bus before a match, where Ducksch suggested that if Havertz scored, he should use the celebration. After scoring, Havertz kept his word, and the celebration became a trademark.
The celebration involves Havertz placing his hands on either side of his head, open palm facing and sticking out his tongue simultaneously
Neymar puts his hands on top of his head while sticking out his tongue and as he explained on his Twitter.X account, the gesture is directed at his detractors.
Havertz added his second goal, and Arsenal’s 4th, just past the hour mark, converting a precise pass from Bukayo Saka. This time, his celebration was more subdued. Ben White completed the rout by scoring Arsenal’s fifth goal, capping off a comprehensive victory.
In a recent interview, Rio Ferdinand pointed out that the Arsenal fans apologized to Kai Havertz as they criticized and trolled him earlier pretty harshly, however, now they are enjoying the rewards.
In his statement, Rio said, “He was questioned by a lot of Arsenal fans. When I walk around here and anywhere at Arsenal, I always say to the Arsenal fans, have you apologized to Havertz? They need to say sorry. They need to apologize.”
About Kai Havertz
Kai Lukas Havertz, better known as Kai Havertz was born in Aachen, Germany on June 11, 1999. The professional footballer plays for the Premier League club Arsenal and Germany’s National team as an attacking midfielder, and forward.
As per media reports, Ralf, Havertz’s father, works for the government as a Policeman while his mother is an Advocate. Kai began his football journey at the age of 4 after he joined Alemannia Mariadorf.
For the unfamiliar, Alemannia Mariadorf is an amateur club Kai’s grandfather, Richard, was the chairman at the time. Bundesliga’s Alemannia Aachen spent a year in their academy before signing with Bayer Leverkusen at the age of 11.
After completing his development at Bayer Leverkusen’s youth academy, Havertz made his first-team debut in 2016.
His debut made him the youngest player ever to play for the club in the Bundesliga, and he set another record as Leverkusen’s youngest goalscorer in the following year.
Additionally, he became the youngest player to reach both 50 and 100 league appearances in the history of the German Bundesliga.
Girlfriend & Net Worth
According to numerous reports, the Arsenal’s attacking midfielder is engaged with a German social media influencer Sophia Weber in 2023, whom he had been dating since 2018.
Speaking about the net worth of young footballers, Kai has a whopping net worth of $9 million as of 2024. Reports indicate that the Arsenal star earns a total of $688,000 sum.
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