CRISTIANO RONALDO has scored over 900 goals during his glittering career.
And needless to say, he has celebrated them in different ways.
In recent years, we’ve all become accustomed to his famous ‘Siuuu’ goal celebration.
But a strike in the AFC Champions League Elite with Al Nassr saw CR7 raise his hands in the air and face the sky with his eyes closed.
After the match, he dedicated the goal to his late father who would have turned 71 that day.
“Today’s goal has a different flavour… I wish my father was alive because today is his birthday,” Ronaldo said.
Over the years, Ronaldo, 39, has celebrated goals in very different ways.
With the help of body language expert Darren Stanton, SunSport has teamed up with OLBG to tell us the hidden meaning behind the goal celebrations below.
Ronaldo was just a teenager when he started scoring for Man Utd in 2004.
Here, his first celebration, is in its most primitive form.
Darren says: “Here we see a gesture with clenched fist. That’s the sort of origin of him really developing his confidence. This is a power gesture some sort of superhero might make.
“At this point in his career, he was reasonably humble. This has pretty much always been his celebration when he’s done well, and [knowing what comes later in his career] this is already saying, pure power. I am the man.”
In 2006, establishing himself as one of the world’s best young players, Ronaldo found the net against Wigan.
What followed wasn’t an act of humility.
Darren says: “This is a very interesting power gesture but what’s more interesting is that he’s obviously developed a lot in his career and self-confidence at this point already.
“So this is much more of an arrogant kind of gesture because his face is not one of humility like in the earlier image and his eyebrows are together, his eyes are pulled down. Really he’s sort of gesturing his mouth, he’s sort of shouting.
“It’s much more of a look at me, look at me type gesture. It’s a demonstration of spreading itself out into more space. So it’s more or less saying, look at me, I’m all powerful. Now we’re seeing elements of arrogance and cockiness creeping in.”
Now a full international, Ronaldo’s full of self-importance.
This couldn’t be more evident than how he celebrated a 2004 Euro semi-final strike against the Netherlands.
Darren says: “The more space that a person occupies, it’s really telling us what’s happening internally. We see again the evolution of Ronaldo, we see he’s got his top off and he’s making this sort of Bruce Lee gesture.
“He’s flexing his muscles, he’s spreading his arms out. It is a very powerful image. It’s one of sheer arrogance, but also determination. So there’s quite a lot of emotions.
“It’s an extreme gesture because the more space we occupy, the more important that we perceive ourselves to be in the environment.”
In 2009, Ronaldo was already recognised as the best player on the planet.
And, at this time in his career playing for Real Madrid, he was the happiest he may have been.
Darren says: “In this photo, we see a much more developed personality and his character traits. There’s some cheekiness coming in now and a big broad smile.
“The way that we can tell that someone is genuinely happy, in a state of joy, is that they have what we call laughter lines or crow’s feet. This is present in anybody of any age, from their 20s right up to their 80s and older.
“If these lines aren’t present, it’s a fake smile, but in this photo we can tell that Ronaldo is obviously over the moon.
“We’re still getting a tell-tale power gesture. This is his baseline default setting for ‘I am the man’. But we’re now seeing this massive smile come across his face.”
At the World Cup in 2006, Ronaldo is already portraying himself as all-conquering.
He dropped to his knees after a strike against Iran, and looked to the heavens. But what did that mean?
Darren says: “The next image is a really iconic kind of power gesture because we’ve now not only got him making this trademark power gesture, we’ve also got him on his knees.
“It’s almost like he’s praying. He’s got his eyes closed. It’s almost like meditation in a way. He’s sort of screaming to the heavens. Again, we’ve got him spreading himself out on his knees.
“It’s just a complete power gesture and it’s all about him. He feels he’s the conduit. He’s the main man. He’s the star of the show. We’ve still got these moments of arrogance coming in, but also the fact that he feels absolutely all-powerful and continues to grow in his confidence.”
His first goal for Juventus in 2018 saw Ronaldo copy a ‘chin thrust’ reminiscent of Conor McGregor.
A shift in his personal perception of himself has changed, according to Stanton.
Darren says: “In this particular photograph, there are much more advanced versions of some of the character traits that we’ve seen. We’re still seeing this kind of power gesture with the hands, but it’s changed. It’s almost like he’s flying.
“He’s like the leader of the pack. You’ve got the rest of his team-mates behind him, but he’s very much front and centre, and we can see this expression of elation. His jaw is out.
“That’s what we call a chin thrust, very reminiscent of Conor McGregor who tends to stick his chin out, and it’s saying I’m more important, I’m arrogant. It’s an arrogance gesture and it’s designed to undermine and demotivate other people in terms of challenging their authority and position.
“We’re now seeing him moving to a much higher level of self-confidence and personal power so we’ve got his hands by his side now as opposed to the front.
“We’ve got this much more defined facial image and his arms are behind him. It’s almost like he’s flying like a superhero.
“I think this was the pivotal moment that we saw a shift in his personal sort of perception of himself.”
It’s Ronaldo’s most iconic goal celebration, recognised in the FIFA games, and we saw it in the Premier League.
Here he celebrates scoring a penalty against Arsenal.
Darren says: “This image is really iconic and we know that it went viral and was copied by millions of people.
“Again, we’ve got the most grandiose extension of personal power because he’s airborne, he’s jumping in the air and, in terms of more space, you can’t get more in his personal proximity than this.
“The fact that he’s mid-air, he’s got his arm up. This is probably 10 generations on from the first sort of gestures that we began to see.
“He feels all powerful, he is at the pinnacle of his career. The world’s at his feet and he knows he’s considered to be the best player in the world.
“The fact that he’s got his arm out, extended, so that’s extending his height, he’s jumping in the air, again, the more space we occupy, the more powerful we feel.”
Back in September, Ronaldo became the first player to score 900 top-level career goals in a game playing for Portugal against Croatia.
It brought out a much more humble Ronaldo.
Darren says: “For this image, we see a very, very different version of Ronaldo. He’s in what we call a fetal position. Conversely, as I mentioned before, we tend to make ourselves bigger to create a more grandiose sense of self-importance with ourselves.
“This is Ronaldo returning to being the very humble man that he once was. He’s making himself as small as possible. He’s on his knees, his knees are tucked up. He’s covering his face, his head’s tucked in.
“This is basically the opposite of the Ronaldo that people know. It’s much more humble and he’s not really trying to convey power. It’s more of a, not sadness, but it’s more of a sort of, it’s not a power gesture.
“When someone makes themselves into a fetal position they’re trying to withdraw from everything. It means that they’re returning inward.
“It’s not about anybody else, it’s about himself and he’s returning to a much more humble version of himself because he loves his country, he’s got such pride and passion and confidence and motivation.”
A goal for Al Nassr last month saw Ronaldo’s cock-sure attitude return.
In fact, Stanton likened it to Donald Trump.
Darren says: “In this particular photo, we see him after he’s made his journey out to Saudi Arabia. This is a really interesting photo because he obviously had his issues back at United.
“Now he’s at the front of the rest of his colleagues and we see some really interesting gestures from him.
“Number one, we’ve got this chin thrust that’s returned. So his head’s up, his chin’s sticking out. This is arrogance, this is defiance. This is look at me, you know, I’m the man.
“He’s got this kind of cocky smirk on his face as well. You know, it’s somebody saying, dare I say, “up yours”, you know. It’s defiant. Look at me now, look at me now. Even though he may not have got the gravitas he did at United, it’s still very much power gestures.
“Also, his shoulders are tucked right back, so he’s creating the space, and also he’s got his hands interlocked, which again is a power gesture, which we often see politicians like Donald Trump make, or a sort of steeple gesture. It’s all strong, all strength.
“Look at me now, I’ve soared and again, his feet are spread apart, creating this extra space. He’s basically saying to the world, look at me now, I am still the man.”
On the day that would have been Ronaldo’s father’s birthday, he celebrated a strike for Al Nassr by pointing to the sky.
It brought out a more reflective side of the CR7.
Darren says: “This is sort of an extension of some of the gestures we’ve seen before with Ronaldo. It’s in Saudi Arabia.
“He’s pointing to the heavens. It’s quite an ethereal sort of gesture, like he feels he’s connected to a higher power almost. Again, it’s a power gesture saying, look at me, look at me, but it’s not demonstrating arrogance now.
“This is more what we call introspective power. He’s probably thinking to himself, you know, I’ve been on this journey for so long. It’s shifted from saying look at me to the world to him being more reflective and introspective.”
CHARLOTTE Dawson has been seen with her cheating fiance Matt Sarsfield for the first time since they reunited.
Reality star Charlotte, 32, was left devastated in August when she discovered rugby player Matt, 33, had been sending another woman “dirty texts”.
Today the couple were seen checking into a romantic hotel in the Lakes to celebrate her birthday.
Despite the occasion Charlotte – who is pregnant with her third child – looked downcast as she and Matt arrived.
And The Sun can reveal the couple got into a huge bust-up before heading off on their weekend away.
A source said: “Charlotte and Matt had a huge row just before going away to the Lakes and he said he didn’t want to go.
“It was another blow for Charlotte, it’s her birthday and she’s pregnant – she just wants them to get on.
“She’s put everything behind her for the sake of their kids but there is still lots of tension. He has gone with her this weekend but they looked really frosty today.”
Charlotte was dressed down in a shearling bodywarmer, leggings and some Louis Vuitton Ugg-style boots.
She was carrying a matching bag and covered up in huge dark sunglasses.
Matt also cut a casual figure in a Nike tracksuit and trainers.
Just weeks after Matt’s scandal was revealed The Sun told how Charlotte – who shares sons Noah and Jude with him – had secretly taken him back.
This week we revealed Matt will join Charlotte on her Naughty Corner podcast to explain what happened.
An insider said: “Everyone wants to know what happened and his side of the story, so Charlotte thought it was the best way to do it.
“She didn’t really give him much choice in the matter and it’s fair to say he’s not really looking forward to it.
“But at this point he will do what he can do get back in her good books and win back some trust.”
Here's how Charlotte and Matt's relationship has played out
November 2016 – Charlotte and Matt meet shortly after she splits from a short-lived fling with Geordie Shore’s Gaz Beadle.
February 2017 – The couple split for the first time just before Valentine’s Day over Charlotte’s party lifestyle.
July 2017 – While filming Celebs Go Dating, Charlotte is told she is ‘sabotaging herself’ and she admits it’s because she was struggling to get over Matt.
September 2017 – Charlotte jets to Greece after splitting from CGD castmate Frankie Cocozza.
December 2017 – Charlotte and Matt reveal they are back together.
March 2018 – Charlotte admits to The Sun that she ‘couldn’t stay away’ from Matt, with the couple also moving in together.
October 2018 – The couple look loved up while on holiday together in Spain.
August 2020 – Charlotte reveals she is pregnant with her and Matt’s first baby together.
September 5, 2020 – Matt proposes to Charlotte next to the statue of her late father, Les Dawson.
January 26, 2021 – Charlotte gives birth to their first baby boy. She later announces his name is Noah, with the entire birth being filmed for reality show Celebrity Bumps.
February 2022 – Matt, Charlotte and Noah move into their brand new family home in Lancashire.
April 2022 – Charlotte reveals she’s tragically suffered a miscarriage.
February 2023 – Charlotte announces she’s pregnant with her second baby with Matt.
July 30, 2023 – Charlotte gives birth to her second baby boy, who she later reveals is called Jude.
October 2023 – Baby Jude is rushed to hospital after contracting RSV bronchitis, and has to remain in hospital for ‘a few days’
February 2024 –Baby Jude is readmitted into hospital after contracting bronchitis for a second time at seven months old.
August 3, 2024 – Charlotte left ‘devastated and humiliated’ after finding ‘dirty texts’ on Matt’s phone to another woman.
August 4, 2024: Charlotte throws Jude his first birthday party, with Matt notably not in attendance.
August 5, 2024: Charlotte breaks her silence, saying she is extremely hurt, upset and disappointed by the news. She says her children remain her top priority.
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AMAZON has cut prices on its smart TVs, ahead of next week’s 48-hour Prime Day sale.
You can now snag the 43-inch Fire TV 4-Series for a huge 47% off, down to just £229.99. At that price, I’m ready to make the upgrade.
Amazon Fire TV 43-inch 4-series 4K
£229.99 (was £429.99)
The 43-inch Fire TV is currently sitting at number three on Amazon’s list of best-selling TVs.
It’s not every day you come across a 4K TV of this quality for under £500, which explains why it’s flying off the shelves.
The 43-inch 4-series Fire TV is now nearly half price, the lowest I’ve ever seen it at £229.99. That’s enough to get anyone excited, including me.
I still remember splurging on Amazon’s 32-inch Fire TV a couple of years back, paying full price, only to watch it drop during Prime events.
It’s served me well, but with upgraded optics, a larger screen, and enhanced audio on this 4-series, I’m not making that mistake again.
I’m ready to say goodbye to my old model and snag the 43-inch 4-series for a bargain at £229.99.
Amazon Prime Day is next week (8th-9th October), but there's already some early deals to check out. Here's our favourites:
*If you click on a link in this boxout we will earn affiliate revenue
We’ll be keeping a close eye out for some of the best deals so remember to check back to snag these deals
We’ve rounded up more great offers here:
Amazon rolled out a treasure trove of device deals this week. You can check out the best offers on the Amazon device deals page.
As we gear up for Prime Day on October 8th and 9th, it’s common to see Amazon slashing prices on its smart tech ahead of time.
Among the highlights are the Fire streaming sticks, which let you bring the Fire platform to any TV with an HDMI port.
But you’ll also find great deals on video doorbells, Echo speakers, and tablets on sale as we speak.
Right now, these deals are open to everyone, not just Prime members. But that could change next week, so don’t let the grass grow.
When the 48-hour sale kicks off next, you’ll find the cream of the crop listed on our best Prime Day deals page.
Amazon Fire TV 43-inch 4-series 4K
£229.99 (was £429.99)
Discover more top deals and savings at your favourite tech retailers by heading to Sun Vouchers. Sun Vouchers is the one-stop shop where you can find hundreds of discount codes for top chains including Currys, Argos, AliExpress, Dyson and more.
DEAR DEIDRE: ALTHOUGH I love him dearly, my husband is a complete pushover.
He lets everyone else take advantage of him and I’m starting to get fed up. His lack of ability to say no is also putting me off sex!
We’ve been married for eight years. I’m 34 and he’s 38, and we don’t have kids yet.
When we first met I admired him for being so kind, helpful and practical. He would always be going round to his mum’s to fix her car or her washing machine, or to a mate’s to put up shelves.
But I can now see people use him as free labour. They never give him anything in return.
And they expect, rather than ask, him to help.
Every problem gets a personal reply from one of our trained counsellors.
Fill out and submit our easy-to-use and confidential form and the Dear Deidre team will get back to you.
You can also send a private message on the DearDeidreOfficial Facebook page or email us at:
deardeidre@the-sun.co.uk
The final straw for me is that his friend has been living in our spare room – rent free – for the past six months.
He asked if he could stay for a week after a breakup – and then never left!
Of course, he hasn’t paid a penny in rent. My husband says he’s no trouble and it would be mean to throw him out.
What can I do?
MORE FROM DEAR DEIDRE
Deidre says:
Your husband may – unconsciously – be scared that if he says no to people, they won’t like him.
Or he may genuinely just be an altruist and enjoy helping others.
Either way, this is now affecting your marriage and sex life, so you need to talk to him and tell him how you feel.
Say it’s time for his friend to leave so you can focus on your relationship, and give your guest notice.
Suggest your husband read my support pack, Standing Up For Yourself. It will help him be more assertive without causing upset.
IT’s never too early to start thinking about Christmas, and LEGO agrees.
To kick off the festive season, the toy production company is releasing six brand-new advent calendars, and each comes with a different theme.
LEGO’s 2024 Advent Calendar collection, from $32.99
From when the coveted calendars go on sale to what LEGO surprises you can expect to receive inside, here’s everything you need to know.
Plus, we’ve created a list of advent calendar alternatives that are available at Target.
Read on to find out more.
Purchasing the perfect advent calendar can make the countdown to Christmas even more magical.
However, it’s no longer just about sweet treats and indulging in daily chocolates.
Instead, shoppers can now opt for more unique offerings, such as LEGO’s 2024 advent calendar collection.
This year, LEGO lovers can choose between six festive calendars, with an array of themes to suit all ages.
Shoppers can currently pre-order the advent calendars, which will officially go on sale on September 1, 2024.
Shipping will also begin on this date.
City Advent Calendar 2024, $32.99 from LEGO
First up on our list of LEGO offerings is the brand’s City Advent Calendar 2024.
Suitable for ages five and above, this calendar is packed with fun characters, seasonal mini-builds, and mini-figure accessories.
You can even use the playmat to create a winter wonderland village scene!
Star Wars Advent Calendar 2024, $44.99 from LEGO
Calling all Star Wars fans, we’ve spotted an advent calendar for you!
This calendar is sure to provide both fun and facts, as it takes builders through the history of LEGO Star Wars sets from 1999 to 2024.
Disney Advent Calendar 2024, $44.99 from LEGO
Discover the magic of the holidays with LEGO’s Disney Advent Calendar 2024.
Suitable for ages five and above, this calendar features 24 days of surprises, including characters such as Elsa, Tiana, Ariel, Moana, and Mirabel.
Spider-Man 2024 Advent Calendar, $44.99 from LEGO
Treat your mini superhero to 24 days of fun collectable surprises in this awesome Spider-Man 2024 Advent Calendar.
The calendar comes with five mini-figures, building toys, and accessories to help bring your favorite Marvel movies to life.
Friends Advent Calendar 2024, $32.99 from LEGO
Next up on our list of LEGO offerings is the Friends Advent Calendar 2024.
If you’re shopping for a seasonal treat that’s suitable for ages six and above, then this advent calendar is well worth checking out.
The set comes with five characters, two baby pet characters, a snowcat figure, and plenty of accessories.
Harry Potter 2024 Advent Calendar, $44.99 from LEGO
New for 2024, this Harry Potter advent calendar from LEGO is not to be missed.
Bring Hogwarts to life this winter with mini-build toys that are related to the four houses.
You even get a Christmas tree, Christmas crackers, and a Hogwarts Express train!
Whichever advent calendar you’re looking to add to your cart, your first port of call is the official LEGO website.
There you can shop all six advent calendars, plus an array of Christmas-themed gifts.
In addition to the LEGO website, shoppers can also head over to Target.
The retailer is releasing all six advent calendars on September 1, 2024, so make sure to save the date!
LEGO has revealed that this year’s advent calendars will range from $32.99 to $44.99.
For $32.99 each, shoppers can purchase the LEGO Friends Advent Calendar 2024 and the LEGO City Advent Calendar 2024.
Alternatively, you can shop one of the calendars listed below for $44.99.
LEGO’s 2024 Advent Calendar collection
To save you some time, we’ve put together a handy guide of what you’ll find inside each LEGO advent calendar.
Looking for more advent calendars?
The good news is that there are plenty of options to shop.
Here are our favorite picks from Target.
LEGO’s 2024 Advent Calendar collection, from $32.99
