“A small gesture”: United star pinpoints the heart-warming reason behind his iconic celebration

Manchester United have completed three signings this week in what has been a very productive transfer window so far. Shock signing Completely out of the blue, it was announced that Manchester United were close to triggering Youri Tielemans‘ release clause at Aston Villa. The Belgian subsequently completed the move this week with his delighted family beside him. The former Leicester City man has already spoken about his desire to play for manager Michael Carrick. He has also revealed that his former teammate and current first-team coach, Jonny Evans, was influential in his decision to move. Iconic celebration Tielemans may not score that often, but when he does, his goals are usually spectacular. He did score two goals for Belgium in their exciting comeback win over Senegal in the World Cup. Tielemans’ go-to celebration is holding his hands up in the shape of a heart, and speaking to the club’s official site, he explained why. The 29-year-old explained, “that’s mainly for my family. They’re always there everywhere to support me, so I’m grateful to have them by my side. That’s a small gesture that I can give back to them.” Away from football Tielemans has a wife and three young children, and claims that he tries to spend as much time as possible with them when he is not playing or training. He asserted, “the main thing I do [away from football] is spending time with them. I just try to switch off when I’m at home and be the best dad I can be.” The Belgian also explained that whilst he loves to score spectacular goals, he would be content to find the back of the net in any way for United. Tielemans added, “a tap-in is as good as a worldie, but I’m just looking forward to showing my game, to show what I’m about and to have a good run with the team.” Youri Tielemans Stats: 2025/26 Season CompetitionAppearancesStartsGoalsAssistsYellow CardsRed CardsMinutes Played Premier League2521-4–1,863′ UEFA Europa League97232-642′ FA Cup10—-81′ EFL Cup——- Total3528272-2,586′ Featured image Alex Grimm via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Alex Browne Alex is a huge Manchester United fan, inspired by greats of his homeland such as George Best, Harry Gregg and Norman Whiteside. Alex has a Master’s degree from Queen’s University Belfast and La Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Tarragona, Spain. Having lived in the country since 2011, Alex is The Peoples Person’s Spanish football expert and is fluent in both Spanish and Catalan. He dreams of witnessing a United captain triumphantly hoisting the Premier League and Champions League trophy in the air once more.