Tottenham’s erratic form continued on Friday after their midweek loss to Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium. Ange Postecoglou’s side has struggled to find consistency and has managed only one win in their last 5 games.
The defeat against Bournemouth, who leapfrogged Spurs to claim ninth place, underscores Spurs’ vulnerability, particularly when defending set pieces—a weakness that proved costly once again.
The solitary goal of the game came early, courtesy of Bournemouth’s 19-year-old defender Dean Huijsen. Rising unmarked at the back post, Huijsen nodded in Marcus Tavernier’s inswinging corner in the 17th minute. The young defender’s historic goal made him the Cherries’ youngest-ever Premier League goalscorer, marking a significant milestone in his career.
While Huijsen’s header secured the three points, it was his post-goal antics that stole the spotlight. After scoring, Huijsen, joined by a few teammates, dropped a celebration that some on social media are terming as the “coldest celebration of the year.”
The players mimicked the viral Chill Guy meme.
To bring the meme to life, Huijsen and the likes of Semenyo and Tavernier tucked their shirts into their shorts, adopted a relaxed stance, and placed their hands in their pockets, perfectly embodying the nonchalant essence of Chill Guy. The gesture resonated with fans across after the “Chill Guy” character recently exploded into popularity.
The Chill Guy meme originates from American artist Philip Banks, who introduced the character on October 4, 2023, via an illustration shared on X (formerly Twitter).
The illustration features a brown dog in a grey sweater, rolled-up blue jeans, and red sneakers, captioned: “My new character. His whole deal is he’s a chill guy that lowkey doesn’t give a f**.” Initially gaining modest traction, the meme exploded into mainstream popularity somewhere around August this year after it was used in multiple memes and Tik Tok edits.
The design was misreported to be based on a cross between the 1990s American cartoon Arthur and the character Charlie from the American adult animated television show Smiling Friends, but according to Banks, he was not based on anything in particular.
As for the character’s name, Banks commented on September 2, 2024, on Twitter he disliked the use of the name “my new character” for the artwork as opposed to “chill guy”, which was his original intention for the piece.
Companies like Sprite and the NFL have leveraged the meme’s universal appeal for marketing campaigns. It’s whole charm of being effortless has made the meme relatable, allowing it to express things like comedic observations or even political satire.
Fans online are loving Huijsen’s celebration, calling it the “banter era” of the Premier League. There are a few who wonder where the traditional good old celebrations have gone but still enjoy it nonetheless.
While the meme in itself is about being cool, Philip Banks has fiercely protected his creation, issuing takedown notices to prevent unauthorized commercial use, especially within the cryptocurrency space. Yet, its viral status continues to grow, cementing Chill Guy as a defining meme of the digital age.
