The winner of the US Open did the best FIFA celebration

The winner of the men's US Open tennis final called me a legend yesterday during post-match interviews. Daniil Medvedev was explaining the strange celebration he did immediately after his victory. "Only legends will understand what I did after the match is 'L2 + Left'."

And I did understand. L2 + Left is the best celebration from the FIFA series.

After scoring a goal in EA's football game, you have a brief window of opportunity during which you can perform a celebration. There are dozens, but the one I do every time - after every goal in every match in every iteration - is the 'Brick Fall'. It's performed by holding L2 and pressing Left, as the new US Open men's champion explained:

Post-match celebration inspired by @EASPORTSFIFA?!@DaniilMedwed YOU are a legend. pic.twitter.com/oMoI0Dgjnk

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 12, 2021

Here's the celebration itself:

😝 @DaniilMedwed pic.twitter.com/VlqihQ7hSY

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 12, 2021

Videogames occasionally cross over into the mainstream in this way, and I don't normally care. Videogames are everywhere already and I'm not desperate for validation from people on the television. But the brick fall, specifically, feels very personal because I've done it so many times. For example, here is me writing in 2014 about a spreadsheet of FIFA results a friend and I kept, in which every screenshot is of me doing the celebration.

(Note that the fall celebration seemed to happen independently of the players' mouths, leading to players often looking sleepy on the floor but absolutely bellowing, as if expecting to be celebrating with teammates or the crowd. Medvedev sadly chose to stick his tongue out instead.)

So while I'm not typically looking for the telly people to do this, on this one occasion, I feel thoroughly validated. Thanks, telly people.