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Traditionally, players tend to avoid celebrating when they score against their former teams. There are, however, times when such niceties are promptly discarded, for a variety of reasons.
More often than not, it's because the player in question did not depart his previous club on the best of terms. Emmanuel Adebayor's infamous slide in front of the Arsenal fans at the Etihad is one such instance.
At other times, the importance of the occasion can get the better of even the calmest of players. For example, Chelsea's Ben Chilwell couldn't hide his delight after scoring what he thought was a last-ditch equaliser against former club Leicester City in the 2021 FA Cup final.
Unfortunately for the full-back, the goal was chalked off for offside, but his celebration did not go unnoticed by the Foxes faithful.
Some big names, though, have consistently come back to bite the hand that once fed them. On that note, here's a look at ten players who regularly netted against the sides they once played for, especially on the biggest of stages:
#10 Danny Welbeck (Manchester United)
England forward Danny Welbeck came up through the ranks at Manchester United's academy, making 142 appearances for the Red Devils. Despite playing as a striker, the Englishman was only able to register a meagre output of 29 goals and 21 assists in nearly eight years at Old Trafford.
He joined Arsenal in the 2014-15 season, and promptly scored the winner to knock his former team out of the FA Cup in a sixth-round clash between the two rivals. The striker wasn't hesitant to bring out his trademark celebration either, and repeated the feat in 2016-17 when he netted in a 2-0 league win for Arsenal.
Unfortunately for Welbeck, those are the only two times he finished on the winning side, losing six of eight games against Manchester United. However, he has scored four times against the Red Devils.
#9 Mohamed Salah (Chelsea)
With their expensive strikeforce currently misfiring, Chelsea must be ruing their decision to let go of Mohamed Salah. The Egyptian forward was signed by the London giants in January 2014 for £15 million from Swiss side Basel. Salah, though, endured a torrid time with the Blues, making just 19 appearances for the English team and scoring only two goals.
A loan spell at Fiorentina was followed by another loan move to AS Roma. Chelsea eventually sold Salah to the Rome-based club for £13.5 million, losing money in the process. Today, the Egyptian is arguably the best player in the Premier League, and has scored 148 goals across competitions for Liverpool.
Salah has faced Chelsea 14 times, winning seven games while finishing on the losing side six times. He has scored seven goals and provided two assists against the Blues.
The Liverpool man refused to celebrate his first goal against the London club. However, Salah did not hesitate to express his delight in iconic fashion after scoring a screamer when the two sides met in April 2019.
#8 Nicolas Anelka (Arsenal)
French forward Nicolas Anelka represented the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester City, West Bromwich Albion and Bolton Wanderers. However, he first arrived on British shores with Arsenal in 1996.
After enduring a slow start to his career in London, Anelka burst into life in the 1998-99 season, scoring 17 league goals for the Gunners.
The Frenchman was surprisingly sold to Real Madrid at the end of the season after making 86 appearances for Arsenal, where he scored 28 goals and provided 12 assists.
He would go on to face Arsene Wenger and co. 19 times over his journeyman career. Anelka finished on the winning side in seven of those games, while suffering nine defeats. He did, however, score seven times against Arsenal, all of which came in the Premier League.
#7 Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
After watching Cristiano Ronaldo demolish opposition defences for half a decade, Red Devils fans were no strangers to the Portuguese star's brilliance. He left Old Trafford for £85 million in 2009 after a magnificent six-year spell that saw him develop into the best player in the world and a Ballon d'Or winner.
Nobody was surprised when Ronaldo towered over Patrice Evra to power in a header when Real Madrid faced the English giants in a 2013 Champions League clash.
That goal was the equaliser in the first leg of a Round of 16 tie between the two European powerhouses. The then-Los Blancos talisman repeated the trick at Old Trafford in the reverse fixture. Both goals were of vital importance,e as Real Madrid prevailed 3-2 on aggregate, knocking Manchester United out of the tournament.
Ronaldo then scored a screamer against the Red Devils for Juventus in the 2017-18 Champions League group stage meeting between the two teams. The forward's record against United is stellar, with three goals in five meetings to go with three victories and a solitary loss.
#6 Kevin De Bruyne (Chelsea)
If letting go of Mohamed Salah wasn't bad enough, Chelsea somehow also squandered away the chance to build a team around Kevin De Bruyne.
Signed from Genk for £7 million in 2011-12, the Belgian midfielder made just nine appearances for Chelsea before being sold to Wolfsburg for £20 million two seasons later.
It proved to be a huge error, as he returned to England with Manchester City in 2015. De Bruyne has led the Cityzens to three league titles, five League Cups and an FA Cup. With 74 goals and 111 assists for Pep Guardiola's team, De Bruyne has also won two successive PFA Player of the Year awards.
The Belgian has faced Chelsea 16 times, winning nine games and losing six times. He has provided five assists, and scored six goals against his former team. The most recent of them was a stunning winner in a 1-0 league win earlier this month.
#5 Robin van Persie (Arsenal)
Robin van Persie infuriated Arsenal fans by running down his contract with the club and joining Manchester United on a cut-price deal in 2012. The Dutch forward was signed by the Gunners from Feyenoord for just £4 million in 2004.
He spent eight years with the London club, scoring 132 goals and developing into one of the finest forwards in the game. However, the club's failure to win the Premier League bothered the striker, while Arsenal fans were frustrated by his injury issues.
Despite being valued at over £40 million, Van Persie joined United for £27.5 million. He went on to score 26 league goals and provide 16 assists as the Red Devils romped to the 2012-13 league title. The season culminated with Van Persie and United travelling to the Emirates as champions. There, they were given a guard of honour by the Dutchman's former teammates.
The striker faced his former team six times during his time with the Red Devils. He went unbeaten in that stretch, winning three games, while the other three ended in draws. Van Persie scored on three different occasions against Arsenal, and did not think twice before celebrating, leaving Gunners fans unimpressed.
#4 Carlos Tevez (Manchester United)
After helping Manchester United win the Premier League and Champions League double in 2008, Carlos Tevez decided to switch allegiances a year later. The Argentine forward rejected the Red Devils' offer to match his wage demands, and he instead joined Manchester City in a £26-million move.
The manner of Tevez's departure left a bitter taste in the mouths of Red Devils fans. The striker's performances against his former team while donning the Sky Blue kit only exacerbated matters.
Tevez was a constant thorn in Manchester United's flesh, scoring four goals and providing three assists in ten games against his former team. He was only too happy to celebrate his strikes in front of the Red Devils manager, directors and fans.
Despite his stunning individual performances, Tevez finished on the losing side five times against United. The defeats included a memorable 4-3 Manchester Derby in the league and a narrow 4-3 elimination on aggregate in the 2009-10 League Cup semi-finals.
#3 Frank Lampard (West Ham United)
Although he is best known as one of Chelsea's greatest players, Frank Lampard made his name as a talented midfielder at West Ham United. He played 174 games for the Hammers, scoring 32 goals and providing 18 assists, before joining Chelsea for £14.5 million in 2001.
Lampard went on to establish himself as arguably the greatest goalscoring midfielder to have graced the sport, netting an astonishing 211 goals for the Blues. Out of his 648 appearances for Chelsea, 22 came against the Hammers.
Lampard emerged on top in 15 of those games, losing just three times. He scored seven goals, and provided five assists against his former employers as the Blues dominated the rivalry between the London clubs.
#2 Alan Shearer (Blackburn Rovers)
It is inevitable that the Premier League's record goalscorer makes his way onto this list.
With an incredible tally of 260 league goals, Alan Shearer is the greatest striker in the history of the English top flight. While he is most fondly remembered by Newcastle United fans, the Englishman became a bonafide star during his time with Blackburn Rovers.
Shearer joined Blackburn in the summer of 1992, departing Southampton in a £3.5 million transfer. He scored 123 goals in 161 appearances for the club, and famously led them to the Premier League title in 1995. Ahead of the 1996-97 season, he was snapped up by Newcastle United, who paid over £15 million for the striker's services.
The Englishman went on to score 206 goals in 405 appearances for the Magpies. He faced Blackburn 15 times, where he scored ten goals and provided two assists. Shearer won six games against his former team, but also endured six defeats.
#1 Harry Kane (Leicester City)
Foxes fans must be absolutely sick of the sight of Harry Kane. The Englishman failed to deliver while on loan at the King Power in 2012-13, but hasn't stopped scoring since departing Leicester City.
In fact, no player in English top-flight history has scored more league goals against the Foxes than Harry Kane. The Tottenham Hotspur superstar played 15 games while on loan at Leicester City, scoring just twice.
He has faced the Midlands club 17 times since then, and has scored a remarkable 18 goals to go with four assists. Sixteen of those goals have come in league fixtures, with Kane finishing on the winning side ten times and losing five.
Some of the England captain's finest displays have come against the Foxes. He scored a hat-trick in a memorable 4-3 Spurs win in 2015. He netted four times as Tottenham thumped Leicester 6-1 in 2017.
