Fermin Lopez sparks debate with Cristiano Ronaldo-style celebration against Atletico Madrid

Barcelona midfielder Fermin Lopez scored twice in a 2-1 victory over Atletico Madrid in La Liga on Sunday, 22 November 2026, but it was his celebration of the opening goal that drew most attention.

Lopez copied Cristiano Ronaldo’s trademark celebration, running towards the supporters before jumping and spreading his arms while shouting “SIII”. However, the Barcelona player stopped short of completing the routine, with social media users suggesting he had been concerned about provoking the home crowd.

The celebration was particularly notable because Ronaldo is regarded as a Real Madrid legend, while Real Madrid are Barcelona’s traditional rivals. Lopez also wears the number seven shirt, further prompting comparisons with the former Portugal forward.

Spanish newspaper AS described the incident with the headline: “Fermin is a fan of El Don.”

The newspaper reported that Lopez marked his first goal by imitating Ronaldo’s famous “I’m here” celebration. It also pointed out that this was not the first time the Barcelona player had copied one of the Portuguese star’s goal routines.

Lopez had previously performed Ronaldo’s full celebration in April 2022, when he was playing for Barcelona’s youth team. On that occasion, he scored an impressive overhead kick before sprinting away, leaping into the air, opening his arms and shouting “SIII” at the top of his voice.

Barcelona later shared the spectacular goal on its official social media accounts. The club edited the footage before publishing it, removing the celebration from the video. The match had been broadcast live on the club’s channel, however, and images of Lopez imitating Ronaldo quickly spread across social media.

His latest celebration came as a number of players have adopted Ronaldo’s familiar routine in recent days following the announcement that the Portugal legend had retired from international football.

Lopez’s two goals secured Barcelona a 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid in Sunday’s La Liga fixture, with his decision to reproduce Ronaldo’s celebration providing the main talking point after the match.