{"id":1085471,"date":"2019-04-23T09:16:11","date_gmt":"2019-04-23T08:16:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?p=1085471"},"modified":"2019-04-23T13:06:05","modified_gmt":"2019-04-23T12:06:05","slug":"james-milner-old-man-celebration-virgil-van-dijk","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/news\/james-milner-old-man-celebration-virgil-van-dijk\/","title":{"rendered":"James Milner explains why \u2018old man\u2019 celebration was for Virgil van Dijk"},"content":{"rendered":"

Liverpool midfielder James Milner has shed light on his ‘old man’ celebration, explaining how his post-goal antics were motivated by raillery comments made by Virgil van Dijk.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The veteran midfielder converted a penalty against Cardiff on Sunday to guarantee his side all three points in the Welsh capital.<\/p>\n

What was Milner’s ‘old man’ celebration? Five key things to know…<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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  1. Liverpool beat Cardiff 2-0 on Sunday in the Premier League.<\/li>\n
  2. Milner came on in the second half following an injury to Fabinho.<\/li>\n
  3. Six minutes after his introduction, the former England international converted a spot-kick.<\/li>\n
  4. As Milner darted towards the travelling away fans in celebration, he mimicked the antics of a hunched old man.<\/li>\n
  5. He has now revealed the celebration was inspired by tongue-in-cheek comments made by Van Dijk about his age.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    https:\/\/audioboom.com\/posts\/7234057-i-can-t-think-of-any-potential-arsenal-signings-that-make-more-sense<\/p>\n

    Georginio Wijnaldum had put Jurgen Klopp’s side one to the good after dispatching a lethal shot to break the deadlock in the 57th minute, but Milner put the game beyond doubt with a well-executed spot-kick.<\/p>\n

    Following his goal, the 33-year-old sprinted in the direction of the travelling Merseyside faithful before appearing to\u00a0impersonate a hunched old man, and he has now revealed how Van Dijk has been making playful digs about his age on the training field.<\/p>\n

    “Virgil [van Dijk] has been giving me plenty of stick for being old,” Milner said<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    “So it was just one for him really.”<\/p>\n

    https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=cWfFXJKClP8<\/p>\n

    Subscribe to Squawka\u2019s Youtube channel here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    The ‘old man’ celebration<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    This is not the first time the ‘old man’ celebration has appeared in the Premier League, with Milner’s post-goal shenanigans evoking fond memories of a certain Samuel Eto’o.<\/p>\n

    In 2014, during his Chelsea playing days, the Cameroon legend marked a\u00a0goal in the 4-0 league win over Spurs by racing to the home fans and imitating an old man, using the corner flag as a mock walking stick.<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    The celebration came about after then-Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho was caught on camera suggesting Eto’o was older than his stated age of 32.<\/p>\n

    In the spirit of the\u00a0humorous celebration, Mourinho could be seen cracking a smile, but the former Barcelona and Inter Milan forward has since branded the Portuguese coach a “fool” for his jibe.<\/p>\n

    Speaking in 2014 ahead of the World Cup, he said<\/a>: “Thanks for informing me that it will be my last World Cup. Today, I am 33 years old. And it is not because a fool called me an old man that you must believe it.”<\/p>\n