Professional footballer Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang celebrated a goal with a pose that should be very familiar to Dragon Ball fans.
As reported by SB Nation, Aubameyang payed homage to Akira Toriyama's beloved anime and manga franchise during FC Barcelona's recent match against Real Madrid, which Barcelona won with a commanding 4-0 score. After scoring a goal, Aubameyang went to the sidelines of the field, picked up a transparent orange orb, and placed two fingers on his forehead, recreating the pose that Dragon Ball protagonist Son Goku strikes whenever he uses his Instant Transmission ability, which allows him to teleport great distances in the blink of an eye. The player later confirmed that it was a deliberate reference to the classic shonen manga, saying, "It was a ball from Dragon Ball. With it, you can make a wish. I wanted to win and score a goal for my grandparents, who are gone."
Hello from the finished player ??
— AUBA⚡️ (@Auba) March 21, 2022
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Aubameyang later posted a picture of him doing the pose alongside an image of Goku to his personal Twitter account. "Hello from a finished player," the multi-time league leading goalscorer wrote, taking a jab at critics who claimed his career was over after his departure from Arsenal. Aubameyang's Twitter profile picture is now a portrait of himself, which is drawn in a style that resembles Akira Toriyama's iconic art. The player is known for his attention-grabbing post-goal celebrations, which usually involve him performing a flip. Aubameyang also once celebrated a victory by donning a Black Panther mask and doing a "Wakanda Forever" salute.
In the original Dragon Ball manga and the Dragon Ball Z anime, Goku is taught the Instant Transmission technique by the friendly people of the planet Yardat, after he crash lands there following his planet-destroying battle with Frieza. Goku most frequently uses the ability to travel across the universe, but has also integrated it into his fighting style, combining it with his trademark Kamehameha and Spirit Bomb attacks to surprise opponents. The Saiyan warrior most recently utilized the technique in the latest chapter of the Dragon Ball Super manga, where he used it to buy some time in his battle with the wish-powered warrior Gas.
Dragon Ball was created by Toriyama in 1984 and has since become the third best-selling manga of all time, with over 300 million copies in circulation worldwide. Goku's adventures have continued to this day with the on-going Dragon Ball Super manga, which is still overseen by Toriyama himself and features art by his protégé, Toyotarou.
Source: SB Nation, Twitter
