Manchester United star Bryan Mbeumo has revealed the inspiration behind his new goal celebration that pays tribute to legendary cartoon character Homer Simpson. In the immediate aftermath of his goals against Brighton last month, the Cameroon international teamed up with team-mate Amad Diallo for a special celebration. Now, the winger has explained why they are channelling the character from The Simpsons.

Mbeumo settling in nicely at Man Utd

After a long, drawn-out transfer, United finally got Brentford to yield as they accepted a £71 million ($95.5m) deal for Mbeumo in July. Much was expected of the 26-year-old, due to the sizeable fee and the fact he scored 20 goals for the Bees last season. The signs were positive at the start of the campaign, even if the Red Devils' results were not commensurate with that. And in his last four Premier League games, Mbeumo has scored three goals and bagged an assist, which has helped Ruben Amorim's team climb up into the top half of the table. And it seems he has ingratiated himself well with his United team-mates, going by how they are embracing him on and off the pitch.

AdvertisementMbeumo channels The Simpsons

It turns out that Mbeumo and Amad did the 'Homer dance' celebration against Brighton. The dance features in the popular video game, Fortnite, which has increased its traction. 

He told the club's website: "It's from a GIF from Homer Simpson. Yeah, so if you go on the GIF [section in your phone] and you put 'Homer Simpson dance', you will be able to find it. I think we've been talking about this [Amad and I], this morning with him, so let's see [about any future celebrations]."

Incidentally, Mbeumo was voted United's Player of the Month for October, something he was delighted about but also tried to shy away from. 

"Obviously, I'm very happy with this. But, as I always say, I think it's teamwork, and a lot of players would have deserved this as well this month, so I'm happy," he added.

Amorim praises Mbeumo for fast start

Mbeumo has played a big part in United's upturn in fortunes, with the Premier League giants currently on a four-match unbeaten run and just two points off second-placed Manchester City. And the Cameroonian's importance to the team, along with Amad's, is not lost on head coach Amorim. 

Last month, he said, "He’s a working machine. He’s so good in transitions. He’s improving when we are organising the final third. The connection with Amad, it’s really hard to beat these two guys because they change position, they are really fast, they are good in one against one. My role was, as a manager, to explain what I want from him. But it was more the club. And you guys. We can struggle a lot, but it’s Manchester United. When Manchester United is there, and when we feel that this player wants to come here, no matter what, no matter what the position, no matter if it's Champions League or not, we also give everything to bring these kind of guys, and that was the case."

Getty Images SportBig concern for Man Utd on the horizon

While things are looking much rosier for United after picking up 10 points from a possible 12 in their last four outings, both Mbeumo and Amad will leave Amorim's squad next month for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations. The tournament is scheduled to take place between December 21 to January 18, 2026, with Mbeumo set to play for Cameroon and Amad representing the Ivory Coast. That means the Red Devils will have the pair for a maximum of six games before heading off to represent their countries. Those fixtures include trips to Tottenham, Crystal Palace, and Wolves, and home encounters with Everton, West Ham, and Bournemouth. They could miss a good half a dozen games in December and January, which includes crunch ties with Newcastle United, Leeds United, Man City, and Arsenal. 

On the duo leaving for AFCON, Amorim joked, "We will have time to suffer," before adding, "We are going to struggle a little bit, but we already knew it's going to be an opportunity. When I watch the training, there are players that should be playing. But it's hard with one game to take some players from the team, because they are also doing well during the training in games. So other players are going to have the opportunity to help us. They are understanding the way we want to play, so if we are improving on that, the change of characteristics is not going to change the idea or the momentum of the team. But let's use Amad and Bryan in these games and we will see in general."