Now "Just a Chill Guy" has become a celebration

At the 16th minute of the first half, on a curled corner kick, the ball spins towards the second post where Dean Huijsen runs in and sweetly crosses it in the opposite direction. For the former Juventus and Roma player, it is his first goal in the Premier League and it is the one that decides the match between Bournemouth and Tottenham, one of the many clashes between the English middle class this season. And Huijsen chose to celebrate it as the most viral meme on the web, the chill dog with his hands in his pants' waistband watching the world go by. He wasn't the only one, in fact. In the same week, several players used the famous pose known as "Just a chill guy" to celebrate a goal. From Ajax U19 to Lewis Koumas of Stoke City, from Ricky-Jade Jones of Peterborough United to Kyrell Lisbie of Braintree Town who scored one of the most beautiful goals of the weekend with a bicycle kick, they all performed the same pose, freezing the audience in the stands for a few endless seconds.

Hands in the waistband of their shorts, raised shoulders, impertinent gaze and a slight smile: just chill guys who brought their teams to victory. The meme perfectly fits with the imagery of contemporary celebrations, where the plasticity and dynamism of the 2000s have given way to a certain staticness of an Instagram post. Just like Jorghino and Palmer's "Too cold" or Cristiano Ronaldo's "Nap", "Just a chill guy" is a static pose that works both on the field and on social media. And it shows once again how for a new generation of players, the internet is truly an endless source of trends and references to imitate on the field. The simple fact that we've gone from Griezmann dancing like a Fortnite emote to Huijsen's meme pose reminds us that football has definitely entered its postmodern phase, at least when it comes to celebrations.

There is no doubt that "Just a chill guy" truly represents the best approach to modern football, without too many superstructures and free from the many constraints that players used to face in the locker room years ago. Compared to the stress and competition we have always been used to, the new generation seems to be more relaxed, more at ease, and truly more chill, ready to celebrate a goal more like a meme than an explosion of joy or adrenaline. Right in that space commonly reserved for self-representation and happiness, we see the imitation of the dog vaguely inspired by Brian Griffin, already a symbol of an attitude that creator Philip Banks defines as "a chill guy that lowkey doesn't give a fuck". Because in the end, what is more disrespectful than a player celebrating after scoring a decisive goal? One who doesn't celebrate at all, of course.