Christopher Nkunku: Why Chelsea Star Celebrates With a Balloon

Christopher Nkunku: Why Chelsea Star Celebrates With a Balloon

  • Christopher Nkunku scored a hattrick as Chelsea made light work of Barrow AFC in the third round of the Carabao Cup
  • Nkunku has made the cup competitions his own as he tries to wrestle the number 9 spot from an equally on-form Nicolas Jackson
  • The French forward pulled out the balloon to celebrate after scoring one of his goals at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday evening

Christopher Nkunku has finally come alive in England after an injury-ridden spell during his first year.

The French forward arrived from RB Leipzig in 2023, offering much promise to a team that desperately needed fresh attacking impetus.

Christopher Nkunku, Chelsea vs Barrow AFC, Carabao Cup, why Nkunku celebrates using a balloon
Christopher Nkunku celebrates after scoring against Barrow in the Carabao Cup on September 24, 2024. Photo by Gaspafotos/MB Media.
Source: Getty Images

Christopher Nkunku at Chelsea

He started his tenure in West London with a bang under Mauricio Pochettino during the preseason tour in the United States. However, his season was crushed when he picked up a damaging knee injury that kept him out for four months.

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The injury and subsequent relapses restricted him to only 516 minutes last season.

This season, he has been a victim of Chelsea's deep squad under Enzo Maresca. He started Chelsea's first two Premier League games but has since returned to the bench, making only cameo performances.

Maresca has started him in cup games, and the forward hasn't disappointed. He bagged his first Chelsea hat trick against Barrow in the third round of the Carabao Cup. The three-goal haul took his tally to six goals in eight appearances for the season, as captured by Transfermarket.

Why Nkunku celebrates with a balloon

One feature of Nkunku's celebrations has always been a balloon. At Leipzig, he used a red one but switched to blue when he moved to West London.

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The 26-year-old has previously offered a heartwarming explanation of why he uses balloons in his celebrations.

"The balloon was for my son. He likes balloons,” as quoted by GMS.

What next for Nkunku and Chelsea?

His form in front of goal will give Maresca sleepless nights going forward. The Italian manager currently has two strikers on top of their powers. Nicolas Jackson has four goals in six appearances.

Chelsea play Brighton on Saturday before starting their Conference League campaign with a game against Gent.

Nicolas Jackson explains his celebration

Legit.ng has also reported on Nicolas Jackson's explanation of his celebration against West Ham.

The Senegalese striker scored twice inside 20 minutes to give the Blues a 2- lead.

He then pulled off a bizarre dance celebration that left fans online talking.

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Source: TUKO.co.ke

Authors:
Ibrahim Sofiyullaha avatar

Ibrahim Sofiyullaha (Editorial Assistant) Ibrahim Sofiyullaha is a graduate of First Technical University, Ibadan. He was the founder and pioneer Editor-in-Chief of a fast-rising campus journalism outfit at his university. Ibrahim is a coauthor of the book Julie, or Sylvia, written in collaboration with two prominent Western authors. He was ranked as the 9th best young writer in Africa by the International Sports Press Association. Ibrahim has contributed insightful articles for major platforms, including Sportskeeda in the UK and Motherly in the United States. Email: ibrahim.sofiyullaha@corp.legit.ng