Nicolas Pépé’s trademark celebration against Curaçao, a nod to his friends

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·27 June 2026

Nicolas Pépé’s trademark celebration against Curaçao, a nod to his friends

Nicolas Pépé’s brace in Thursday’s 2-0 win over Curaçao sent Côte d’Ivoire into the final phase of the World Cup for the first time in their history, and he marked it with his trademark celebration.

"When I was scoring a lot of goals, my friends would tell me to try this celebration, to do this celebration. So I did the tac-tac with the shoulders and I did this with the hand, then it stuck," he said, speaking to FreeFoot.

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The forward rolled out the shoulder shimmy, then held a hand to the lens, a routine that became his signature during his LOSC spell from 2017 to 2019.

"It is a bit of fun between me and my friends, so now when I score I give them a little wink."

It was a landmark night for the Elephants, with Pépé front and centre.

Source: L'Équipe