Wayne Rooney didn’t mince his words when asked about the World Cup final half-time show. For the first time ever, the World Cup final included a half-time show, which included artists such as Madonna, BTS, Justin Bieber and Shakira.
All in all, the entire half-time period lasted 27 minutes, which is 10 minutes longer than it was reportedly meant to take. Unsurprisingly, it sparked plenty of contrasting opinions, especially among the BBC panellists, with the pundits divided on the show.
Rooney was the least impressed, with the ex-Manchester United man having given an X-rated assessment. Speaking live on the BBC’s coverage, Rooney remarked: “I like a lot of those artists, but I thought it was crap, honestly. I like Bieber, I like Burna Boy and Shakira, but I thought it was really flat.”
Micah Richards and Joe Hart were less harsh and picked out Burna Boy and the Muppets’ appearances as their personal highlights. But Rooney was not for budging, as the former England captain doubled down on his opinion.
Rooney did have more support online though, with @SteveLocklin posting on X: “Wayne Rooney summing up what the whole world was thinking about the World Cup Final half-time show.”
@jamiebennett_r added: “Rooney speaking for all of us with his verdict.”
@_MartinDean reacted with: “Thank you @WayneRooney. We all like some of those artists just not during the world cup final. You wouldn’t stop a Shakira concert for a kick about.”
@the_HOOT_73 wrote: “Rooney was bang on!!! That was the most shocking show ever produced! Chris Martin needs to stick to his own shows which are perfection! This was so diabolical.”
While @CallumOLeary said: “His punditry has been brilliant throughout this tournament and to round it off like this in the final is just wonderful, tbh.”
It wasn’t the only performance of the night, with the kick-off to the match having been delayed for six minutes following a pre-match ceremony. Jennifer Hudson performed the US national anthem, while Tom Cruise read out a monologue and Robbie Williams sang the official FIFA anthem.
Elsewhere, there were reportedly delays for many entering the stadium, largely down to added security checks because of Donald Trump‘s presence. The US President was in attendance to watch his first match of this World Cup and was involved in the post-match trophy presentation.