West Ham United midfielder Tomas Soucek says he refrained from doing his trademark helicopter celebration against Leicester City out of respect to their late owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha.
Soucek scored his sixth league goal of the season during the 2-0 victory on Thursday night. The Czech Republic international, who celebrated his 30th birthday on the matchday, opted instead for a subdued celebration with his team-mates.
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Srivaddhanaprabha and four others died in a helicopter crash on October 27, 2018, after Leicester’s league game against West Ham at the King Power Stadium. Under Srivaddhanaprabha, Leicester defied the odds by winning the Premier League title in 2016. An inquest into the 2018 crash earlier this year found the deaths of the five people were accidental.
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“I didn’t think my normal helicopter celebration was the right thing to do, because of what happened to the Leicester owner,” Soucek told West Ham’s website. “I wanted to celebrate my goal with my team, but I also wanted to show respect to our opponents.”
In the 2023-24 season, Soucek adopted the celebration. After the win against Newcastle United in November, he told The Athletic why he opted for a new approach.
“The celebration is about me enjoying my dream of being here (at West Ham),” he said. “Every time I score, I want to show how happy I am by flying in the sky. There is also a deeper meaning behind it but maybe I’ll tell you next time.”
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