Barcelona have come under fire after posting a tone-deaf video of Anthony Gordon on Instagram immediately after his World Cup semi-final goal for England. The Three Lions went on to lose 2-1 to Argentina.
Gordon's Goal and Barcelona's Misstep
Ex-Newcastle United winger Gordon completed a £70m switch to the Camp Nou this summer and opened the scoring on Wednesday evening as England faced Argentina. Yet his joy was short-lived as La Albiceleste netted twice late on, ending the World Cup dreams of Thomas Tuchel's side. However, before the heartbreak, Barcelona's official Instagram account celebrated Gordon's goal with a pre-recorded message.
This did not go down well with fans of his new club, who were both disappointed to see their player knocked out and incensed that a goal scored against Barcelona icon Lionel Messi was commemorated in this way.
Fan Backlash and Criticism
The video in question was seemingly recorded when Gordon jetted out to Spain before the World Cup to seal his transfer to the Catalan giants. In it, the 25-year-old speaks directly to the camera and says: "Hi, I'm Anthony Gordon and if you're watching this, I've just scored at the World Cup." The video was likely meant to be posted as soon as Gordon scored at the competition, but it just so happened his first and only goal of the tournament came during such a miserable result for England.
Fans did not take well to the poorly-timed upload and one wrote: "Cancel the contract. We no longer want him." Another claimed: "Sell him, we don't want him anymore." A third simply added: "Get out of my club." More were quick to point out that this goal was scored against Barcelona legend Messi. One comment read: "He scored against Messi, we don't celebrate that."
Gordon's Future at Barcelona
Regardless, with the former Magpies winger now out of the World Cup, he will enjoy a break before linking up with his new Barcelona team-mates. He'll have no trouble communicating with most of them either, having learnt Spanish. He admitted when asked about speaking the language during his unveiling: "As a kid I believed I would play for Barcelona, believe it or not. I have a physio and we speak every day and I said one day I would play there, so that's why."
Gordon added: "As soon as I knew Barcelona was a serious option, there was never any question. I always wanted Barca. It's the biggest club on the planet. It's the stuff I dreamed of when I was a child. To play for Barcelona is the biggest dream possible. I know it comes with a lot of responsibility but I am ready for the challenge. This shirt always has a lot of weight but I am excited."
