Rasmus Hojlund, currently on loan from Manchester United, made an immediate impact for Denmark, but his post-goal celebration quickly drew attention for the wrong reasons.
Hojlund completed a deadline day loan switch to Napoli, with the deal set to become permanent if the Italian side secures Champions League football next season. That means his time at Old Trafford may already be over.
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Hojlund wanted to remain at United and fight for minutes alongside Benjamin Sesko, but Ruben Amorim kept leaving him out of squads, pushing him closer to an exit.
The 22-year-old will now look to make his mark in Italy. Even before getting started with Napoli, he’s already turned heads with his performances for Denmark.
Rasmus Hojlund goal celebration comes under fire after Denmark vs Greece
Hojlund came off the bench and linked up with former United teammate Patrick Dorgu to score in Denmark’s 3-0 win over Greece on Monday night.
Despite positive reviews from the Danish press, he’s taken some heat for how he celebrated his goal in Athens.
Although United fans haven’t seen it much, Hojlund has been inspired by Gladiator when celebrating goals recently.
But this time, it didn’t go down well at all with the home fans in Greece.
Danish outlet Bold wrote: “It went completely wrong when Rasmus Hojlund cheered down at the incarnate Greek fans, after which missiles flew down at the Danish players. Unnecessary by Hojlund and an ugly response from the hosts’ supporters.”
Rasmus Hojlund defends his celebration after scoring for Denmark
Hojlund’s goal put the game out of reach for Greece, sealing a 3-0 win for Denmark. While United supporters have seen the celebration before, it didn’t sit well with the Greek fans. But Hojlund stood by it when asked about it after the match.
He told Bold: “It’s always nice. It’s what I live for. It’s just my celebration scene, I always do the gladiator.”
With international duty wrapped up, Hojlund will head back to Italy and begin training with Napoli ahead of his expected debut.
The club returns to Serie A play on 13th September, and soon after, Hojlund will be back in Manchester to face City in the Champions League group stage.
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