Nigerian striker Tolu Arokodare has found himself at the center of a controversy involving former Belgian international Wesley Sonck.
The Genk forward drew the ire of Sonck, who also had a stint with Genk and now manages Belgium's U19 team, during the warm-up before their second-round Belgian Pro League match against Standard Liège.
Arokodare rolled up the sleeves of his shirt, a routine pre-game habit, which didn’t sit well with the 46-year-old.
The match ended in a goalless draw, but the drama continued as Sonck reportedly criticized Arokodare during halftime.
“During the warmup he walked around with short sleeves to show how muscular he is. He won zero duels in the first half. Those are guys I can't stand,” he said.
Tolu Arokodare fires back both on the pitch and on the microphone
However, Arokodare had the last word in Genk's following match against Club Brugge, where he scored in a 3-2 victory.
After netting his goal, he celebrated by rolling up his sleeves, a clear retort to Sonck's earlier comments.
When asked about his goal celebration, the 23-year-old Nigerian said it was a message to his critics, flaying Sonck in so many words.
“It was not necessarily for the haters, but for those who do not understand football and point to fringe and stupid things ”, the attacker said.
“I don't understand what rolled up sleeves have to do with my game. I only did it in the warm-up and certain people make something big out of it. Then you don't get it.”
Tolu Arokodare, who now has two goals this season, also scored in Genk’s season opener against OH Leuven.
