Paul Pogba made a spectacular Premier League comeback last weekend, overseeing United’s 4-1 win over Newcastle and getting on the scoresheet himself.
After Pogba scored, he crossed both his arms at the wrist and held them aloft in a gesture that may have confused some fans.
Since then, eagle-eyed viewers will have noticed that other players have been making the same gesture after scoring.
It turns out, the “celebration” is actually a protest against slavery in Libya, where slave auctions have reportedly been taking place. The gesture of crossing the arms at the wrist is meant to represent the shackles worn by slaves.
Many migrants have travelled to Libya in an attempt to reach Europe, but there have been widespread reports of migrants being sold as slaves. It is estimated that there is somewhere between 700,000 and a million migrants in Libya currently.
While very happy to be back, my prayers go to those suffering slavery in #Libya. May Allah be by your side and may this cruelty come to an end! pic.twitter.com/i4hxfX3CiB
— Paul Pogba (@paulpogba) November 18, 2017
Pogba has been joined in the protest by other big names such as a Villarreal striker Cedric Bakambu and West Ham’s Cheikou Kouyaté.
Bakambu shared a photo to his Twitter of himself making the gesture alongside the caption “Fuck slavery.”
Fuck slavery. pic.twitter.com/KIVtTxFyRs
— Cédric Bakambu (@Bakambu17) November 23, 2017
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