Mikel Merino has a celebration people already know — the lap around the corner flag, inherited from his father, performed after almost every goal he’s scored since his professional debut.
So when he found the net against Ipswich Town in the Carabao Cup on September 15, 2026, and did something completely different with his hands instead, it was obvious this wasn’t just another goal. It was a promise being kept.
Merino scored Arsenal‘s fourth in a 4-2 win at Portman Road, and rather than heading for the corner flag, he stood and made a gesture with his right arm, extending his thumb and index finger like the Nike symbol, which was actually the BSL symbol for a cannon, Arsenal’s logo.
It looked deliberate because it was.
Days earlier, Merino had taken part in TNT Sports’ “Sign Up – Into Football,” a series built around making the game more accessible to deaf fans and putting British Sign Language in front of a wider audience.
During filming, Merino sat with deaf participants who taught him some BSL.
Before leaving, he asked them what he could do the next time he scored a goal. They gave him the answer, and Merino promised to use it when he scored. Against Ipswich, it came.
The reaction online wasn’t simply about the gesture itself.
One fan joked about how footballers somehow manage to remember celebration promises despite the adrenaline of scoring, while another pointed out that players can be especially intentional about keeping their word.
Others focused on Merino himself, praising his attitude, his willingness to contribute wherever the team needs him and calling him “special.”
But the reaction to Merino’s celebration sits within a much bigger change happening around BSL and football in the UK.
In February 2026, Liverpool launched its “Signs of Unity” campaign with Carlsberg and the https://bda.org.uk/.
Supporters at Anfield were taught a BSL version of You’ll Never Walk Alone, allowing Deaf and hard-of-hearing fans to take part in one of the stadium’s most recognisable traditions.
Liverpool also provided eight qualified BSL interpreters pitchside for the team announcement and the anthem, describing the event as the first of a number of initiatives aimed at creating greater access for Deaf and hard-of-hearing supporters.
Chelsea have taken the idea further across regular matchdays. During the 2025/26 season, the club became the first Premier League club to provide BSL interpreters on-screen at all home Premier League and Women’s Super League matches. The initiative was developed with the Chelsea Deaf Supporters Group and the National Deaf Children’s Society.
Football clubs are increasingly looking at ways to make Deaf supporters part of the matchday experience itself, while Merino brought that same message onto the pitch in one of football’s most visible moments.
