Football fans have broadcast a theory behind the apparently spontaneous selfie party of Mohamed Salah with fans of Liverpool after scoring in the 5-1 victory of the Reds to seal the Premier League title.
The Anfield club took a record-similar 20th top flight title on Sunday after banging Tottenham on MerseSide, as goals from Luis Diaz, Alexis Mac Allister, Cody Gakpo, Salah and its own goal for a perfect day.
The Egyptian, who surpasses the rankings for both goals and assists and is only one involvement from binding the record of the Premier League All-League, was desperate to get his name on the score sheet.
And when the moment arrived in the 63rd minute, he changed his celebration radically. The 32-year-old, who recently wrote a large two-year extension to stay with the club until 2027, took a phone from what seemed to be a fan in the crowd before he posed for a selfie for jubilating supporters.
With further inspection, however, the attacker was in fact handed the phone by women in club equipment with what seemed to be an accreditation to be her neck, while the seemingly harmless mobile was the Google Pixel 9, the flagship machine of one of the most important sponsors of the club.
Many fans expressed their displeasure about what they claimed was a marketing stunt on social media, with many who broadcast their skepticism around the celebration.
“Someone who works for the club that passes him the phone that they have advertised … It is so staged, nothing authentic to them,” wrote the user All Everton on X, which is a way to explain their anger.
'A goal in the game that you win the title, just go crazy. That is embarrassing. '
Another wrote: “Salah sold out by performing a pre-planned goal celebration by taking a photo on a Google Pixel phone instead of living in the moment .. is such a perfect reflection of LFC and his camera with fan base.”
“He got the sponsor moment for the Google Pixel 9,” one third noticed on the platform.
A fourth user added: 'Salah with the Google Pixel this time another photo with the Liverpool team. Can we all accept that it was now a well -choreographed advertisement? '
The Anfield Club announced a 'long -term partnership' in 2023 with Google Pixel.
Announcement of the deal, a statement on the club's website read: 'LFC and Google Pixel will collaborate with the men's and women's teams of the club to make exclusive content, as well as deeper, technically driven experiences, using Google's AI-driven camera functions on the device to enhance the Fan experiences at home, for fans.'
After the last whistle on Sunday, Salah was again seen on a photography obligation and it was central to a series of photos of the entire team while celebrating their historical triumph.
After the game, Salah insisted that the title party of this season was 'much better' compared to the Covid-affected campaign 2019-20 [Mane]Without Jurgen, without Bobby [Firmino] – Without everyone it feels more special.
'We now have a different group, different manager. Being able to do it again is something special. '
Reds Baas Arne Slot later lifted the lid to his own plans – and revealed how many beers he will drink.
“The only moment I was emotional today was when we arrived in the stadium,” he said. “You could see what it meant for people. Everyone on the bus felt a responsibility. It was impossible for us to lose this football game. '
He added: “I will probably celebrate with a glass of beer or two or three.”
Anfield was a kettle of noise during the raw 90 minutes and the atmosphere also reached a fever outside the ground.
Thousands of supporters packed the streets, while others scoured the handrails at the head, waved scarves from the roofs and even climbed a passing Greggs bus to get the best view on the Red Sea that extended completely past Anfield Road.
In some places, thick clouds of red smoke prevented people from saw no further than just a few meters in front of them, while the festivities stretched for a long time until the evening.