The lights glare down. Thousands of wild English fans roar. Players hold their breath. And Justin Dean Kluivert steps towards the ball, getting ready to take a penalty kick. Drenched in sweat, it’s up to him to secure the underdog win for his team.
He scores the goal, sealing a win for AFC Bournemouth against a heavily favored Arsenal team.
He runs to the end of the pitch where a row of photographers are lined up, but instead of a typical slide on his knees across the grass or striking a signature pose to celebrate scoring, he grabs a spare soccer ball, stuffs it underneath his shirt and begins to suck on his thumb.
Why? Well, goal celebrations are becoming pregnancy celebrations: It's a soccer tradition that this season's stars are embracing.
After the game, Kluivert, 25, posted a photo of his celebration on Instagram, captioning it with a baby emoji and two bottle emojis.
Kluivert had previously posted photos on Instagram of himself and his pregnant fiancé, Shanna Taihuttu, captioning the post “Our biggest blessing. We love you so much already.”
Bournemouth posted a video on X of Kluivert’s reaction after his goal, adding that it was a “special celebration.”
The week before, Manchester City striker Erling Haaland, who is one of the best soccer players in the world right now, became Norway’s all-time record goal scorer on Oct. 10.
To celebrate this achievement, Haaland posted a photo of himself after the game with a soccer ball tucked beneath his shirt and his thumb tucked in his mouth.
The photo marked the first time Haaland announced he's an expecting dad.
Haaland captioned his post with a baby emoji and a "coming soon" emoji, confirming speculation that the 24-year-old star is expecting his first child with his girlfriend, Isabel Haugseng Johansen.
Haugseng Johansen, 20, told the Norwegian news outlet Dagbladet that Haaland will be a “very good” father.
On Nov. 9, Liverpool FC striker Darwin Núñez, 25, celebrated in the same fashion by sticking the ball beneath his shirt and sucking on his thumb after he opened up the scoring against Aston Villa.
In an Instagram post on Nov. 10, Núñez confirmed that he and his partner, Lorena Mañas, were expecting another child together by posting photos of his goal celebration, him and his family with their ultrasounds and a photo of Mañas holding her belly.
"Words cannot express the happiness we feel for this new life we have created together, our family grows, your brothers and your parents are waiting for you with the utmost excitement to give you all the love in the world," a translation of his Spanish caption on the post reads.
His team amplified his announement on X, posting a photo of his celebration with an emoji surrounded by hearts.
The baby-themed goal celebration trend actually started before Haaland, Núñez and Kluivert were even born.
The first iconic soccer pregnancy announcement traces back to the 1994 World Cup quarterfinals when Brazilian forward Bebeto, whose given name is José Roberto Gama de Oliveira, scored to boost Brazil to a 2-0 lead.
Bebeto’s son had been born two days prior, so to celebrate his goal he began rocking his hands back and forth as if he was cradling a baby, with his teammates joining in to help.
Since then, players have morphed the celebration into a much more literal interpretation, tucking a ball underneath their shirts and sucking on their thumb to announce the birth of their child or their partner's pregnancy.
Haaland, Núñez and Kluivert have kicked off this soccer, and baby, season with a bang; now we'll see if other players are gestating a similar surprise celebration.
