Lionel Messi’s Sith-like celebration became an instant meme

Lionel Messi’s Darth Vader celebration was all kinds of awesome.

Lionel Messi’s time in Major League Soccer has already spawned some incredible moments. From his first-ever MLS goal to his pair of tallies in his second game, Messi is making the most of his time stateside.

And now, add a devilish Darth Vader-like celebration to the mix and you’ve got an instant meme!

On Tuesday, during Messi’s big two-goal match against Atlanta United, the 36-year-old broke out an absolutely stone cold celebration. With a blank expression, Messi raised his hand in the style of Darth Vader’s iconic force choke before giving the fans a smirk to cap off the celebration.

That’s a pretty cool celebration, if you ask me. People instantly started to notice the similarities between Messi’s celebration and iconic Sith lords from Star Wars.

And after that, the rest was history. Here’s how soccer fans reacted to Messi’s Darth Vader-like celebration that turned into an instant meme.