1) Bebeto, Brazil v Netherlands, USA 1994

Want to feel old? Bebeto’s third son Mattheus Oliviera, the celebration’s subject, recently turned 23, and has signed for Sporting Lisbon. Back to 1994, an hour gone, and from a wayward header Bebeto embarrassed the entire Dutch back-four, caught waiting for an offside flag that never came. Running unimpeded through on goal, he rounded Ed de Goey with a touch both deft and impetuous, before slotting into the empty net. Like your dad at a family barbecue, Bebeto started to laugh at his own joke before the punchline, heading towards the corner flag with a giddy grin plastered on his face. Shaping his arms into a cradle, he began to rock the proverbial baby, before being joined by team-mates Mazinho and Romário in a tableau of parental bliss. Hopefully this will have assuaged the anger of his other half; the Brazilian sheepishly explained this was the only child whose birth he wasn’t present for. Perhaps a touch hubristically, he added: “When I made that celebration maybe it was like Mattheus was baptised by God.” At the least it christened a celebration copied in recent years by a succession of happy parents.

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2) Roger Milla, Cameroon v Romania / Colombia, Italia 1990

Living a life most of us can only dream of, in semi-retirement on the French island of Réunion at the age of 38, Roger Milla was an unlikely contender to be the 1990 World Cup star. But with the Indomitable Lions in need of a goalscorer, the president of Cameroon, Paul Biya, gave Milla a personal call to convince him to return to international football. Scoring twice against Romania, and then matching that total in extra-time against Colombia, courtesy of René Higuita, Milla was not only the name on everybody’s lips, but the inspiration for their hips. Taking the corner flag as his dance partner, where at least there was no risk of rejection, his entirely pelvic dance has a touch of lecherous uncle at wedding, yet looked effortlessly cool. Roger Miller, as German TV would have him, managed to repeat the feat four years later in the USA, becoming the oldest scorer in World Cup history with a consolatory goal against Russia. Milla’s cavorting shadow still hangs over African football, as this Coca-Cola advert for the 2010 World Cup, and more recent effort from the Cameroonian national team show.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Roger Milla celebrates his goal against Colombia in 1990. Photograph: Henri Szwarc/Bongarts/Getty Images

3) Julius Aghahowa, Nigeria v Sweden, Korea / Japan 2002

You also associate Julius Aghahowa with his scoreless season at Wigan in 2007-08 right? Alas, his career had peaked five years earlier in Kobe, as he scored Nigeria’s only goal of the 2002 World Cup. In an eventual 2-1 loss to Sweden, the forward flicked an inch-perfect cross from Joseph Yobo into the far corner while being sandwiched by two defenders, almost tumbling into the post as he fell legs askew. If his landing was ungainly, what was to follow was sheer grace, as he embarked on a frankly dizzying succession of handsprings and somersaults. It took some time to count all seven flips, as Aghahowa performed his best imitation of a human Slinky.

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4) Brian Laudrup, Denmark v Brazil, France 1998

Four years after Bebeto’s showmanship, Brazil were on the receiving end of an eclectic celebration, coming from one of the unlikeliest sources; Brian not-quite-as-famous-as-his-brother Laudrup. Halving the Danish deficit, Laudrup’s effort is less known for the finish itself than an inexplicable kamikaze attempt at an overhead clearance from Roberto Carlos, and the suave revelry that followed. In his last international match and goaded by a son who claimed “Dad, you’re so boring when you celebrate after the goals”, Laudrup resolved to make the most of his final appearance. The beauty of the celebration lies in the surprise afforded by the limited 1990s camerawork. One moment Laudrup seems to be attempting a conventional slide, a positive step for the reserved Dane, but by no means iconic. As our view switches to a front angle, Laudrup is revealed, stretched out like a Caravaggio muse, deadpan expression belying the glint in his eye.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Brian Laudrup celebrates his goal against Brazil. Photograph: Patrick Kovarik/EPA

5) Finidi George, Nigeria v Greece, USA 1994

In a tournament which seems to not only be the international highpoint for goalkeeper kits but celebrations too, Finidi George’s audition for ‘World Football’s Most Puzzling Moments’ is a standout. A scintillating break down the left from Emmanuel Amunike led to a shooting chance for the unmarked George. If his lobbed finish from 25 yards was a touch of the sublime, his subsequent actions were a touch of the absurd. Crawling for a few metres on hands and knees, he locates the touchline before raising his right leg, and pretending to relieve himself. Perhaps he’d always wanted to imitate a dog urinating on a fire hydrant? Puzzlingly, George has spawned imitators, notably Belgium winger Dries Mertens after scoring for Napoli against Roma. A frankly underreported aspect of the celebration is the strange spinning disco George performs alone, accompanied only by a grin as wide as the hem of his shorts.

6) Gordon Strachan, Scotland v West Germany, Mexico 1986

In the week leading up to the match, then-assistant German manager, Berti Vogts, snuck into Scottish training as a drinks seller, having bribed the retailer for his apron and hat with a German shirt, in order to observe key player Strachan. It was to no avail, as Strachan swerved the opening goal past Harald Schumacher into the far corner from an improbable angle. As a zoomed camera angle contributes to Strachan looking even less than his five foot six, he wheels away with the intent of vaulting a pitchside advertising hoarding. Alas, to no avail. Baulking, Strachan instead resorts to the eager hop of a child begging for ice-cream. Perhaps this was the moment he formulated his theory of genetics …