The Story Behind Ecuador's Masked Celebration

Filed in archive World Cup 2006 on June 17, 2006

image: worldcupblog.org

When Ivan Kaviedes scored ecuador's third goal against Costa Rica he pulled a yellow spiderman mask out of his shorts (or pants, not entirely sure) and wore it to celebrate (pictured). The commentators on ESPN literally didn't know what to say, and obviously had no idea what was going on.

They should read this which explains the celebration. It was a tribute to Otilino Tenorio, the former teammate who was killed last year in a car crash. He was famous (and popular) for his celebration, which was to... you guessed it, wear a mask which he pulled from his shorts (or pants).

Kaviedes celebration was a touching, humorous tribute to the much loved Tenorio, which presumably required some serious forward planning, not to mention being reliant on Kaviedes scoring.

The video below is footage of Otilino Tenorio in action, featuring the original version of the now even more famous celebration.