Tennis star Carlos Alcaraz gifted the sporting world a legendary meme during Spain’s 1-0 win over Argentina in the FIFA World Cup final on Sunday.
At the 96th-minute mark, Nico Williams put the ball in the net courtesy of a Mikel Merino pass, but the goal was disallowed seconds later, prompting a hilarious reaction from Alcaraz. The reaction has since gone viral across social media platforms.
Going to be seeing this one used a lot
😂😂😂😂😂😂
X Account AB’s clip of Alcaraz’s premature celebration has already garnered nearly 2 million views and over 105K likes, as seen below.
Referee Slavko Vincic denied Spain the goal after ruling that Merino had stepped on Argentine defender Nicolas Otamendi’s foot during his attacking move. However, subsequent TV replays showed that Merino was called for a harsh foul and Spain were likely robbed of an early celebration. Fortunately, justice prevailed as Ferran Torres scored in the 106th minute to give Spain the World Cup-clinching goal.
Fans React to Carlos Alcaraz Celebration
Alcaraz and actress Jung Ho-yeon were given the rare honor of presenting the World Cup champion’s trophy before the match, as seen in the photos below.
However, his premature celebration of Spain’s disallowed goal caught the attention of fans more than anything else. Some reactions from fans can be seen below:
“my boy is a walking meme now”
“He turned football Twitter into a 24/7 meme factory and somehow we’re all still here for it 😂”
“Happiness left his face real quick”
“this is going to come in very handy when he plays next”
“The real definition of “not so fast”
Carlos Alcaraz Returns to Tennis
Alcaraz was clearly in good spirits during his visit to MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, just a week removed from getting clearance to resume on-court tennis activities. The 23-year-old superstar has been sidelined since April with a wrist injury, causing him to miss two major events (French Open and Wimbledon) and other key ATP-1000 events.
The Spaniard is set to return at next month’s Cincinnati Masters, which will serve as his final tune-up ahead of his title defense at the US Open.
He was previously expected to make his comeback at the Canadian Open in Montreal, but decided to withdraw due to precautionary reasons. Several analysts felt that he was in danger of missing the final major at Flushing Meadows, but La Verdad’s Francisco J. Moya reported earlier last week that the World No. 3 had “fully healed” from his wrist injury and was on the verge of returning to tennis activities.
“Carlos Alcaraz is already beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel,” Moya reported last Tuesday.
“After almost four months away from competition due to the right wrist injury he suffered during the Conde de Godó, the Murcian tennis player faces the decisive phase of his recovery with a very defined objective: to return to the courts at the Cincinnati Masters 1000, last major preparation tournament before the US Open.”
Besides sending out a few tweets after Spain captured the World Cup, Alcaraz was also seen celebrating with Spanish players on the turf.
Carlos Alcaraz Goes Viral for Blunder During Spain’s World Cup Win