“He can steal mine if he can’t create his own,” Gyokeres reacts to Arsenal’s Gabriel celebration

• Sporting forward Viktor Gyökeres responded humorously to Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhães mimicking his signature celebration during Arsenal's 5-1 win in Lisbon
• Gabriel’s goal helped Arsenal secure a dominant win and climb to seventh in the Champions League group stage
• Gyökeres remains a hot prospect, with major European clubs monitoring his performances closely

Sporting Club forward Viktor Gyökeres has shared his thoughts on Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhães mimicking his signature celebration during Arsenal’s dominant 5-1 win in Lisbon on Tuesday, November 26.

The 26-year-old Swedish striker, who has been in sensational form this season with 24 goals in just 20 matches, endured a frustrating evening as he failed to find the net against the Gunners. Adding to the sting of defeat was Gabriel’s unexpected imitation of Gyökeres’ interlocked-hand celebration after the Brazilian headed home Arsenal’s third goal in first-half stoppage time.

Speaking in a post-match interview, Gyökeres shrugged off the incident with a cheeky response,

“Gabriel’s celebration? He’s welcome to steal it if he can’t create his own! I didn’t know he did that, but it’s fun he likes my celebration.”

Gabriel’s playful act was likely inspired by a past exchange of celebrations between the two teams. Back in March 2023, during Sporting’s Europa League triumph over Arsenal at the Emirates, Pedro Goncalves copied Granit Xhaka’s signature celebration after scoring a crucial goal. The incident seemed to have left its mark on Arsenal’s players, with Gabriel returning the favour on Tuesday night.

Mikel Arteta’s men cruised to a resounding victory, pushing them to seventh place in the newly formatted 36-team Champions League group stage.

While Arsenal celebrated a commanding performance, there was a slight concern over Gabriel’s fitness after the defender reported discomfort during the match. Speaking post-game, Arteta confirmed the situation, 

“We don’t know [about his fitness], he said he was feeling some discomfort. I was about to bring on Ras [Raheem Sterling], but I couldn’t make the sub and had to prioritize others.”

Despite the incident, Arteta praised his team’s effort, 

“I was so pleased with what I saw. I knew good things would happen in Europe if we stayed on this path,” he said.

Meanwhile, Gyökeres continues to attract interest from Europe’s elite clubs, with scouts from Manchester United, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, and Barcelona reportedly attending matches to monitor his progress.

Transfer round-up: Issues surrounding Arsenal’s new signing, Riccardo Calafiori

Previously, TheRadar reported that Premier League side Arsenal FC were not the only club in the race for the versatile defender, other European giants like Juventus, Real Madrid and the Premier League side, Chelsea were also in contact with the player’s representative. 

The 22-year-old was, however, more convinced with Mikel Arteta’s project. Arsenal fans have been well over the moon following the announcement of their latest signing.