At the soccer World Cup in Russia, England recently took on Panama, defeating the South American side by six goals to one. While the final score garnered headlines for being the highest goal tally ever recorded during an England World Cup match, the game had gamers talking for an entirely different reason.
During the match, England and Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard scored an impressive goal, sending the ball into the back out of the net with a shot from outside of the box. In celebration, Lingard ran over to supporters in the stands and began to do the ‘Shoot’ dance, which involves a fist pump and simultaneous kick with the legs. The dance will be instantly recognizable to anyone who has playedFortniteBattle Royale as the dance is anequippable emote, known as ‘Hype.’
As many will be quick to point out,Fortnitedid not invent the Shoot dance. The dance move was first created by American rapper BlocBoy JB and featured in the music video forShootwhich was released in November 2017. However, the move has been made popular once more because of its inclusion inFortniteBattle Royale. Lingard may have learned the move from the game - especially likely given that many members of the England square are reportedly fans of the game.
Lingard’s fellow players, including Harry Kane (who scored a hat-trick during the match against Panama), Dele Alli, and Kieran Trippier are all avidFortniteplayers. Kane is believed to have played more than 100 games ofFortnitesince arriving in Russia. In an interview, Trippier also revealed that there are nine players on the squad who enjoyFortniteand while it’s unclear if Lingard is one of them, the players are using it as a way to relax in between games.
Lingard and co. are not the only soccer stars to be keen on the game. At the Europa League final earlier this year, France and Atletico Madrid starAntoine Griezmannperformed the famous Take The L dance which has also been made popular byFortnite.
In fact, these soccer players aren’t even the only professional athletes to performFortnite-inspired celebrations.Professional rugby playersfrom New Zealand also showed their love for the game during a match, with the players also saying that they had used it as a bonding exercise. Epic Games will be glad to see that its game is inspiring such high-profile people and the free publicity on the world stage will probably put some smiles on faces too.
Fortniteis available now in early access for iOS, PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. A release on Android devices is also planned.
