LIGA MX CLAUSURA 2023
How rosary beads helped André-Pierre Gignac and Tigres beat Chivas in the Liga MX Clausura 2023 final
The French striker started the Tigres comeback with a second-half penalty and his post-match actions in Guadalajara caught the eye.
Listen to any extended interview with a soccer player and there’s a good chance you’ll soon realise they’re a superstitious bunch. There have been many tales of what they ‘have to do’ before a game, from generic things at any level such as always putting their right boot on before their left, to others that are more specific to the elite, like touching the ‘This is Anfield’ sign when playing against Liverpool away from home.
Following Tigres’ dramatic Liga MX Clausura 2023 triumph over Chivas on Sunday, it came to light, via striker André-Pierre Gignac, that they may have received a little helping hand ‘from up above’ (perhaps not strictly a superstition, admittedly).
Gignac plants rosary beads at Estadio Akron
After Los Auriazules had been handed the trophy their winners’ medals, and once the on-field celebrations had all but ended, the Frenchman was filmed digging rosary beads out of the field over by the touchline. The logical conclusion is that Gignac had planted them at Estadio Akron some time before kick-off, hoping that some form of divine intervention would help him and his teammates end Tigres’ four-year wait for a league title.
Rosary beads are a common sight in Catholic churches and homes, although other religions also employ similar traditions. While their main purpose is for counting prayers, they have been used for both praying and meditating since as far back as the 12th century.
Gignac resurrects down-and-out Tigres in Guadalajara
While someone may well have been smiling down on Robert Siboldi’s team in the end, it didn’t look as if it was going to work out that way for much of Sunday’s game. Chivas raced into a 2-0 lead inside 20 minutes, with Gignac initially appearing to have left his shooting boots at home. However, the striker kept the faith and was rewarded, starting the Tigres comeback with a penalty with 25 minutes left on the clock.
The goal resurrected Los Auriazules and the momentum carried them to an extra-time victory, with Chivas powerless to halt their biblical collapse.