Gordon vows to sign viral photo for Aguirre after World Cup 'f*** you' exchange

Anthony Gordon has pledged to sign a photograph of his viral sideline exchange with Javier Aguirre, after the former Mexico manager — now in charge of Valencia — publicly asked the Barcelona winger for a memento of the moment during England’s 3-2 last-16 victory over Mexico at the Estadio Azteca.

Television cameras caught the exchange during a first-half hydration break, with Aguirre calling out Gordon’s name before delivering a grinning “f*** you” in his direction. The clip spread rapidly across social media and has since been described by the 67-year-old coach as “a random moment of silliness.”

Speaking ahead of Barcelona’s Champions League fixture against Aston Villa, Gordon was warm about the encounter. “I think that was a great interaction,” he said. “People really liked it, it went viral. It was really fun, no malice and just a joke in the moment. What made it better is that there was so much pressure, tension, animosity within the game and then to make this joke on the side like we’re playing in the park. He seems like a really good guy.”

Asked about Aguirre’s request for a signed print-out to give to his children, Gordon was unequivocal: “I’ll sign whatever he likes.”

The former Newcastle and Everton winger described the win in Mexico City as “the best of my life”, singling out the atmosphere inside the Estadio Azteca and the resilience England showed after being reduced to ten men. “We heard so much noise about the altitude, the stadium, the atmosphere,” he said. “It is still the loudest noise I think I’ve ever heard when they sang their national anthem. This will stick with me forever.”

Since completing his move to Barcelona in the summer, Gordon has settled quickly into life in La Liga, contributing three goals and four assists across 13 appearances. He drew a pointed contrast between the pressure of competing for trophies at the Camp Nou and the anxiety of relegation battles he endured at Everton.

“I was fighting relegation for two or three years at Everton, which was tough,” he said. “At Newcastle, we were fighting for maybe Champions League and to push up the table, and now I’m fighting with Barca for every trophy. So I’ve had three very different challenges as far as the teams I’ve played for.”