The Spanish striker has joined Valencia on loan from Manchester City and on Tuesday night was presented to fans in front of more than 10,000 supporters at the Mestalla.
Asked to kiss the shirt, Negredo demurred, saying that “he will have enough time to kiss it in the near future”.
The Valencia fans were not impressed. A large section of them started to boo and whistle before expletive-filled chants rained down on the striker.
That first goal for his new goal can not come quickly enough.
But should the Valencia fans have been booing their new signing in the first place?
There are few more annoying sights in the modern game that that of a new signing celebrating scoring a goal by kissing the team shirt. By all means be happy and celebrate wildly, but don’t pretend it means something to you or that you have some kind of emotional attachment to your new club. Surely, the blatant insincerity of such a gesture insults both the supporters and the shirt they follow.
For his refusal to do so and for his ability to see through the whole sorry charade, Negredo deserves not abuse, but applause.
