Tijjani Reijnders responded to those who mocked his departure from Manchester City by reviving a television-series theme during Al-Qadsiah’s 2-0 victory over Neom in the Roshn Saudi League on Monday.
The Netherlands international scored for his new club after moving to Al-Qadsiah from Manchester City, helping them secure victory in the third round of the Saudi competition.
Reijnders later used Instagram to explain the celebration, posting: “It seemed the series was cancelled, but surprise… it moved to another channel. Season two, episode one.”
The message was a clear reference to his brief time at Manchester City and his decision to begin a new chapter in Saudi Arabia after only one season with the Premier League club.
The midfielder first introduced the idea of a football “series” at the start of his Manchester City career last season. He scored his first goal for the club against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the opening round of the Premier League campaign and celebrated with the message: “Season one… episode one.”
That post was intended to mark the beginning of his journey with Manchester City. However, the storyline ended sooner than Reijnders might have expected, with the Dutchman leaving after just one season to join Al-Qadsiah.
His departure led some supporters to make fun of the earlier “season one… episode one” celebration. Reijnders appeared to answer those comments in his own way when he found the net against Neom, presenting the goal as the opening instalment of a second season.
The celebration carried both humour and confidence. Rather than suggesting that his career had stalled after leaving Manchester City, Reijnders portrayed the move as a change of setting for a story that was still continuing.
The 2-0 win therefore gave him more than just a positive start with Al-Qadsiah. It allowed him to adapt the same idea he had used a year earlier, changing the channel and beginning a new football narrative with a different club and different surroundings.
His goal against Neom became the first episode of that new phase, while the wording of his message made clear that, in Reijnders’ view, the series had not been cancelled.
