Players who score frequently sprint towards a corner flag rather than anywhere else on the pitch. The choice is driven by the geometry of a stadium rather than by tradition alone.
The corner is the closest point to the crowd
The pitch is a rectangle inside a bowl, and the corners are where the playing surface comes nearest to the stands on two sides at once.
A player running to a corner puts himself within a few metres of thousands of supporters, which is the maximum proximity available.
Running to the halfway line or the centre circle achieves the opposite, placing him at the furthest point from everybody watching.
Cameras are positioned to cover it
Broadcast setups place fixed cameras behind and beside the goals, so the corner areas are among the most comprehensively covered parts of the pitch.
A celebration there is captured from several angles, in close-up, with supporters visible in the frame behind the player.
Players who have grown up watching that footage internalise the destination without necessarily thinking about why it works.
It is the shortest route out of the goalmouth
Immediately after a goal the six-yard area contains defenders, a goalkeeper retrieving the ball and often an argument.
The corner is the nearest open space, and running to it takes a scorer away from confrontation while teammates catch up.
The sprint also serves a physical purpose, releasing tension after a moment of concentration, which is why the run tends to be flat out.
Away goals invert the logic
An away scorer runs to the corner nearest the travelling supporters, which may be at the opposite end of the ground from where he scored.
That run can take several seconds, which is why away celebrations frequently look longer and more chaotic than home ones.
Where travelling fans are seated high or far from the pitch, players often abandon the corner and celebrate with teammates instead.
Modern stadiums changed the calculation
Grounds with running tracks or wide advertising perimeters place the crowd much further from the corner, weakening the whole point of the run.
In those stadiums scorers more often stop short and gesture, since closing the remaining distance is impossible.
The celebration adapts to the architecture, which is the clearest evidence that the corner was never sentimental in the first place.