11 most iconic T-shirt messages by football players

Football is a game of goals and emotions, and there is joy in seeing an attacking move fulfill its ultimate destiny when the ball hits the back of the net. But football players being the divas they are, they took it to a different level with messages on their t-shirts while they are celebrating the goal they just scored or when they just want to send a message to the fans, rivals or their loved ones.Knowing the cameras would be on them, some took the stage to make a political statement, while other have more poignant messages.Here is a list of some of the most iconic messages we have seen in football so far.

#1 Andres Iniesta

After scoring the winning goal in the 2010 FIFA World Cup final, Spain’s Andres Iniesta took the occasion of the grandest stage of them all to give his condolences for fellow footballer Dani Jarque. Jarque, who played for Espanyol, had died of a heart attack the year before at the young age of 26.

The message on his shirt read ‘Dani Jarque: Always with us’. Although Espanyol are Barcelona’s local derby rivals, the player was well respected by the Spanish football fraternity. Iniesta later presented the shirt to Espanyol since Jarque had spent his entire career there.

“It pains me a great deal to give this shirt away even though I think this is the best place for it,” Iniesta had said at the time.

“I scored the goal but Dani will also be remembered.”

Espanyol’s then-president Sanchez Llibre had praised Iniesta for his generosity and said: “Iniesta is a great player, but for sure he will also be remembered with great fondness by the Espanyol supporters and the world of football when he retires.”

#2 Ian Wright

Ian Wright was one of the many excellent strikers that Arsenal have had in their squad over the years. Wright was clinical for both club and country, and towards the end of his Arsenal career, was desperate to upstage Cliff Bastin’s club record of 178 goals for the Gunners.

He finally did that against Bolton Wanderers, but his first goal only equaled the record. That did not stop Wrighty from celebrating, though. And even though he was mistaken, he lifted his shirt that was made by Nike to reveal the message ‘179 – Just Done It’.

However, he went to score another goal that actually beat the record so all was well. And just for added measure, he scored another one in that game, finishing a hat-trick to celebrate his record.

#3 Thierry Henry

Thierry Henry was another great striker that Arsenal fans have had the pleasure of watching, and he was the player who eventually beat Ian Wright’s club record. When Arsenal were facing Liverpool in 2000, no Arsenal player had scored against the Reds in over three years.

The match was filled with incident, with as many as three players being sent off; two from Liverpool and one from Arsenal. Finally, at the death, Henry won the game for Arsenal with a goal.

He celebrated that with the message on his vest saying, ‘Bang goes the 0-0 draw’, signifying that finally an Arsenal player scored against Liverpool.

#4 Thierry Henry (again)

There was another time Thierry Henry took the opportunity to send a message across after scoring a goal. This was during the game against Manchester United in 2001 at Highbury, which the Gunners won 3-1.

Henry scored a goal and lifted his shirt to show the message ‘For the West Indies’, telling people that he hadn’t forgotten his roots, even though he was a French national. This was confirmed by former Arsenal striker Alan Smith, who said that it was a reference to his father’s birthplace Guadeloupe in the Carribean.

#5 Marco Materazzi

After winning the treble with Inter Milan under Jose Mourinho’s guidance, Marco Materazzi took the opportunity during the Champions League trophy celebrations to send a pointed message to Juventus with a message on his shirt which translated to ‘Do you want this too?’

It was an apparent jibe at Juventus who had requested that Inter be stripped of the 2005/06 Serie A title in light of match-fixing allegations. He must have felt really hurt to want to do that on a stage where he should be celebrating rather than making a statement.

#6 Real Madrid

In a rare display of sportsmanship that is usually lacking between fierce rivals such as Real Madrid and Barcelona, the Madrid players, along with the Lyon players, wore shirts that had the message, ‘Get Well Abidal’ showing their support for a fellow footballer who was suffering from a tumour in his liver.

Some of the players also had shirts that said ‘Get well soon Mumba’ for Fabrice Muamba who suffered a cardiac arrest in the middle of a game against Tottenham while he was playing for Bolton.

#7 Robbie Fowler

Perhaps one of the first images that come to an English football fan’s mind when they think about iconic t-shirt celebrations is Robbie Fowler’s political celebration which expressed solidarity with the 500 dockers that had lost their jobs and went on strike.

Already a Liverpool hero, this show of support from Fowler on a big stage in the European Cup Winners’ Cup in a game against Brann in 1997, made him even more of a Kop hero.

Typically, he was fined for his political demonstration by UEFA. But he sealed his place in the hearts of the fans.

#8 Liverpool

When Luis Suarez was banned for alleged racist comments against Manchester United’s Patrice Evra, the entire Liverpool squad showed their support to him by sporting Suarez t-shirts while warming up before a game.

The entire team was roundly criticised for this move and was one of the reasons that contributed towards Kenny Dalglish having to end his time as Liverpool manager. While showing team solidarity is one thing, supporting a player accused of a sensitive issue was perhaps not the brightest thing to do.

#9 Mario Balotelli

Perhaps the most recognised t-shirt celebration of a goal would be Manchester City’s Mario Balotelli during the game that saw them run out 6-1 winners at Old Trafford. The t-shirt read ‘Why Always Me’, citing the striker’s bemusement as to why he always seemed to be in the news – and for all the wrong reasons.

He may have calmed down a bit now, but Balotelli's career has been filled with events that you would not expect any normal person to do, let alone a footballer.

#10 Kaka

After the heartbreaking defeat to Liverpool in the 2005 Champions League final, it was a great relief for AC Milan as they beat the same opponents in the 2007 final. As his teammates celebrated the trophy, Kaka knelt down in prayer with a t-shirt that had the message “I belong to Jesus” showing the religious side of the Brazilian midfielder.

It wasn’t the first time that Kaka wore such a shirt with a religious message, but doing it right after winning the Champions League showed how devout he was.

#11 Dimitar Berbatov

When Dimitar Berbatov was at Fulham, he was arguably their best player in a squad struggling for results. And he made it known to everyone that he was the boss.

In a game against Southampton, the Bulgarian striker celebrated a goal by taking off his jersey to reveal a vest with the message ‘Keep Calm And Pass Me The Ball’. It had the fans and players laughing along with the smiling striker but the referee was in no mood for such theatrics and booked him.

However, even manager Martin Jol wasn’t impressed because Berbatov was in danger of getting sent off later on.

“That was stupid,” he said. “I need to have a word with him. He probably thought ‘I will never get booked’ because he never gets booked.

“But later he had a situation where he could have gone [for a late tackle on Jason Puncheon] so I will have a word with him because it is not the brightest thing to do.”