Knee slides are iconic but risky, as cases of Araujo, Solskjaer and Vieira show | OneFootball

Knee-slide celebrations remain a staple in 2026, but they are not risk free. According to L'Équipe, Barcelona’s Ronald Araujo was injured after sliding to celebrate a late strike against Benfica in November 2021 that was disallowed, and he left the pitch.

On 23 November 2021 at Camp Nou, with the Champions League tie at 0-0, he thought he had scored and launched into a knee slide. The goal was chalked off and he then went off injured. Reims physio Antoine Vaspard says such cases are rare.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer suffered a medial knee sprain after sliding to celebrate Manchester United’s winner over Bayern in the 1999 Champions League final, which ended 2-1. Twenty years on he denied it decisively influenced his 2007 retirement.

Patrick Vieira was said to have left at half-time of Arsenal’s 3-2 win over Manchester United on 9 November 1997 because of knee damage from a slide. He then missed about a month.

Sports physio Julien Astouric says slides involve flexion and tibial rotation that can provoke a medial collateral ligament sprain. A mistimed slide could also lead to a fall on the shoulder or head, risking a minor acromioclavicular sprain, though sliding is still less risky than a somersault.

Another drawback, flagged by Eden Hazard in October 2018, is turf burn from repeated contact with the grass. Astouric calls these superficial and painful when repeated, depending on pitch conditions and how often some players score.

Source: L'Équipe