El Clásico Goal Celebration By Franck Kessié Honors His Deceased Father
The Ivorian’s first La Liga goal might have given Xavi Hernandez’s team the Spanish league crown.
After relocating to Barcelona in the summer of last year, Franck Kessié has had trouble securing a spot in Xavi Hernandez’s starting lineup. With an injury-time winner, he may have all but ensured that the championship returns to Camp Nou this year and cemented his place in Barça mythology.
The Ivorian midfielder gave the crowd his customary “salute” as he shot past Thibaut Courtois to secure his team a 2-1 victory.
Kessié revealed that the occasion is a celebration in honor of his father, a soldier who lost his life in the Ivory Coast’s civil war, in a recent interview with Mundo Deportivo. The midfielder for Barcelona embraced the tradition in memory of his father, who went away when he was only 11 years old. The fact that the crucial match against Real Madrid coincided with Father’s Day in Spain gave the gesture additional meaning.
As a demonstration of respect for the other person, he would give the salute to anybody older than [my father] who came, according to Kessié. This is the reason the picture stayed in my thoughts.
Kessié succeeds in El Clásico and leaves his impact
Pedri, a rising midfield star for Barcelona, was unavailable for Sunday night’s match against Real Madrid, so Xavi Hernandez started Sergi Roberto in his stead. The La Masia graduate scored the game’s first goal before being substituted by Kessié, who later scored the game’s winning goal.
Kessié, who joined on a free transfer from AC Milan last summer, has sometimes had trouble adjusting to Xavi’s strict demands. Roberto, who joined the team at the age of 13, was chosen to start, but Xavi hinted that Kessié had more to offer in a Barcelona jersey.
The Barça coach said, “I choose Roberto to start because I believe he has a greater knowledge of our positional game. Franck has just been working here for a year, so it’s typical. Yet today, it was crucial to prevent losing pointless items.
During the game, Xavi said that he was undecided until the very last as to which of the eventual goal scorers should start.
He referred to Kessié and Roberto as the two possibilities, both of which had positive outcomes. Both players scored goals and won the game.
