Wayne Rooney isn’t known for holding back, and the World Cup final halftime show found out the hard way.
The former England and Manchester United striker was working as a pundit for the BBC during Sunday’s final between Argentina and Spain when his co-host, Joe Hart, asked for his take on the tournament’s first-ever in-game halftime performance. Hart ran down the lineup — Shakira, Burna Boy, Ronaldinho and R9 driving Madonna onto the pitch, the Muppets — then turned to Rooney.
Rooney didn’t hesitate. “I like a lot of them artists, but I thought it was crap.”
Micah Richards, another ex-England player sitting at the desk, shot back: “So miserable.” But Rooney wasn’t the only one who felt that way.
The show itself was a genuine first for FIFA. Coldplay’s Chris Martin curated the roughly 11-minute set, which featured Madonna, BTS, Justin Bieber, Shakira, and Burna Boy. Brazilian legends Ronaldo and Ronaldinho drove Madonna onto the field in a golf cart. Conductor Gustavo Dudamel led musicians from the New York Philharmonic and the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela. The Muppets and Sesame Street characters popped up too.
On ITV’s broadcast, Roy Keane gave a similar verdict. He called it “a bit of an anticlimax,” though he figured the fans inside the stadium might have enjoyed it more than the people watching at home.
Reaction online was split. Some viewers compared it favorably to this year’s Super Bowl halftime show with Bad Bunny, praising the energy and clarity. Others complained about the pacing — it took nearly 27 minutes from the end of the first half to the restart of play once the show wrapped.
For FIFA, Sunday was the first real test of bringing Super Bowl-style entertainment to the sport’s biggest stage. Whether the halftime show becomes a permanent fixture at future World Cup finals is still an open question. But one thing’s for sure: Rooney isn’t booking a front-row seat.
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