The photo shows Giannis Antetokounmpo doing Cristiano Ronaldo's Siu celebration during a practice session with Milwaukee Bucks

Dhruvan Nair

Greek Freak Giannis Antetokounmpo copies Cristiano Ronaldo during Bucks practice

Cristiano Ronaldo, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Manchester United

Since making it his trademark celebration back in 2014 during a pre-season friendly between Real Madrid and Chelsea, Cristiano Ronaldo’s iconic “Siuuu” celebration has always been an iconic footballing moment whenever the Portuguese pulled it out during a match.

Following his goal against Brentford on Monday night, United No. 7 wheeled away towards the corner flag and rose high in the air and landed back onto the Old Trafford pitch with both arms stretched on either side to complete his signature move.

While football fans have been attuned to Ronaldo’s celebration since his Real Madrid days, over the last few years the “Siuuu” has taken even the non-footballing world by storm out of its sheer popularity caused by social media.

Short clips of Ronaldo saying or celebrating by shouting “Siuuu” on Twitter and Instagram have helped in the widespread reach of Ronaldo’s celebration to even other athletes.

In 2021 during the Tokyo Olympics, 18-year-old Egyptian fencer Mohamed Elsayed pulled out the “Siuuu” after defeating 3-time World Champion, Yannick Borrel. After the victory, the teenager ran to the corner of the court and jumped up and landed by shouting “Siuuu.”

Now, it looks like the latest athlete to catch onto this trend has been Greek professional basketball player Giannis Antetokounmpo who plays for Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA. In footage that emerged on Twitter, the Greek Freak was spotted pulling out Ronaldo’s celebration during a practice session for the Bucks.

In the past, Giannis has not kept his interest in football or his fondness of Ronaldo a secret as the player has addressed questions about the 5-time Ballon d’Or winner during interviews. “I love both of these players but I’ll probably go with Ronaldo,” replied the power forward when asked to pick between Messi and Ronaldo during an interview.

With the Bucks player sporting the iconic celebration, this has only further confirmed his status as a Ronaldo supporter and in doing so, has once again helped in popularizing the “Siuuu” in non-footballing circuits.