Anthony Gordon makes vow to Javier Aguirre after viral World Cup interaction

Anthony Gordon says he will sign an image of his viral interaction with Javier Aguirre from the World Cup following a request from the former Mexico manager.

Television cameras captured the moment during the first-half hydration break of England’s last-16 triumph at the Estadio Azteca, with Aguirre seen shouting Gordon’s name to get his attention before saying “f*** you” and laughing.

The clip was widely shared across social media and has been recalled as a “random moment of silliness” by Aguirre.

The 67-year-old, who like Barcelona’s Gordon made a move to LaLiga in the summer, said following his appointment as Valencia manager that he wanted the Englishman to sign a print-out of the moment for his children.

“I think that was a great interaction,” Gordon said, speaking ahead of Barcelona’s meeting with Aston Villa in the Champions League.

“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 in the side like we’re playing in the park.

“It was a really funny moment. He seems like a really good guy.”

Responding to Aguirre’s request for a signed photo, he responded: “I’ll sign whatever he likes!”

Gordon hailed the 3-2 win in Mexico City as “the best of my life”, which saw Thomas Tuchel’s side grit through against the World Cup co-hosts on enemy soil.

“We heard so much noise about the altitude, the stadium, the atmosphere,” he added. “It is still the loudest noise I think I’ve ever heard when they sang their national anthem.

“This will stick with me forever and the way we won, with 10 men. How we won the penalty with 10 men. There was so much emotion involved and this will live with me forever.”

Now fighting for titles at Barcelona, former Newcastle and Everton winger Gordon is thriving under the pressure of playing on the biggest stage, so far scoring three goals and grabbing four assists across 13 appearances.

He insists the expectation of winning trophies in Spain is easier to handle than the pressure of battling relegation, which he experienced while at the Toffees.

“The challenge of joining Barcelona is different to what I’ve had before because I was fighting relegation for two or three years at Everton, which was tough,” Gordon 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 that I played for.

“I really enjoyed all three because they come with different things to help you as a person, help you grow.

“I think to be competing on every front for every trophy, is definitely the most enjoyable. People think it’s more pressure, but it’s actually better pressure than the fight for relegation.”