Atletico Madrid star Memphis Depay has revealed that his ‘Kete’ dance celebration when he scored in La Liga was in honour of Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.
Depay celebrated by exhibiting the Kete dance after scoring in Atletico Madrid’s 3-1 win over Granada in La Liga on Monday.
Diego Simeone’s side opened the 2023/24 league campaign by impressively securing all three points against Granada.
Depay scored either side of goals from Alvaro Morata and Marcos Llorente, with Samuel Omorodion getting the visitors’ consolation goal.
The Netherlands international’s goal came when the game was deadlocked at 1-1 and he celebrated by exhibiting the Kete dance, which is a popular traditional dance among the Ashantis in Ghana.
And he has now disclosed that he danced to celebrate and honour the king and overlord of the Ashanti kingdom.
“The dance is from the Ashanti Kingdom in Ghana and it’s paying respect to our king,” Depay told La Liga TV.
“He has a dance as well where ‘he takes, as I give’ and he takes and the kingdom is his. I have the privilege to know the king and that was a celebration for him and obviously celebrating with the team and the fans is a great feeling.”
It will be recalled that Depay paid a courtesy call on the Otumfuo at the Manhyia Palace while on vacation in Ghana last month.
In a post on Instagram, the former Manchester United star shared a picture with the revered overlord of the Ashanti Kingdom.
Displaying cultural appreciation, he wore a vibrant kente cloth and respectfully draped it off his shoulder as a gesture of honour towards the Otumfuo.
Expressing gratitude to the Asantehene for his valuable advice and motivation, Depay captioned the post, saying, “Thank you for your words of wisdom and motivation! #ashanti #King #ashantikingdom.”
