Ian Wright hits out at ‘ridiculous and poor’ World Cup final pitch at the MetLife Stadium – and that was BEFORE extravagant half-time show featuring Justin Bieber and Shakira

Ian Wright has described the condition of the World Cup final pitch as ‘ridiculous, shaky and poor’.

MetLife Stadium has been criticized throughout this summer’s tournament and once again looked dry and untidy as Spain face Argentina tonight.

There have been many instances where stars, including the great Lionel Messi, have struggled to control the ball bobbing on the uneven surface.

And speaking during ITV’s half-time coverage of the clash, Wright pulled no punches when assessing the venue for the biggest match on the football calendar.

He said: ‘This pitch for a World Cup final is ridiculous, bad, this game shouldn’t be like this.

“I think Spain is playing and showing how good they are because they are doing really good things even on a dry pitch like this.”

Turf in New Jersey came under fire throughout the tournament

‘I think Argentina is here to stay, but I think Spain is ignoring it everywhere. It’s just a matter of time before they take one of these chances.’

The 80,000-capacity MetLife is located on the outskirts of New York City, where heavy storms hit, causing flooding hours before kickoff under the scorching east coast sun.

However, the pitch had been rated as mediocre by players and coaches long before it was hit by rain.

The turf consists mainly of natural grass but has been placed on an artificial surface which will allow it to ‘dry out’ quickly when temperatures rise.

Brazilian Vinicius Jr. was one of the stars who expressed his discomfort in a statement to reporters after his country’s 1-1 draw with Morocco at the beginning of the tournament: ‘Due to the weather and heat, the grass dries quickly and the game is very slow.

‘We can’t establish a rhythm. This makes things difficult because we want to move the ball from one side to the other and this disrupts our play.’

French coach Didier Deschamps later criticized the pitch: ‘The pitch in New York was really tough; ‘He was working the players’ muscles too much.’

Wright’s comments came moments before the broadcaster’s broadcast cut to the highly anticipated halftime show, facilitated by a controversial 30-minute break.

The star-studded halftime show included performances by Shakira (pictured) and Justin Bieber

Madonna came onto the field with the 2002 World Cup champion and Brazilian legends Ronaldo and Ronaldinho and started her performance with her hit song ‘Music’.

Bieber was then introduced by Ted Lasso for a short, slow acoustic performance as a montage of the tournament played on large screens around the 80,000-seat stadium.

Shakira then returned and added some energy to the show before the performance ended and preparations quickly restarted for the second half.

But ITV’s panel of experts were less than impressed; Also Wayne Rooney on the BBC.

Keane said: ‘It was a bit of a climax but I think the people in the stadium probably enjoyed it more than we did. ‘It was nice to see Shakira.’

Wright added: ‘(Justin) Bieber should have done something a little more upbeat to give us a little lift.’

Rooney clearly reflects: ‘My favorite part of the halftime show was when it was over… I love all the performers but I thought it was rubbish.’

A host of stars descended on New Jersey for the climax of this summer’s tournament.

Before kick-off, Top Gun and Mission Impossible superstar Tom Cruise took to the field to give a pre-match motivational speech. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump was seen sitting next to FIFA President Gianni Infantino in his luxury suite.

In addition to the famous couple Timothee Chalament and Kylie Jenner, Mick Jagger, Pharrell Williams, Victoria Beckham and Will Ferrell were also seen in the stands.

Despite the substandard quality of the surface, Spain prevailed on the east coast thanks to a late goal from Ferran Torres.

Nico Williams headed the Barcelona player who equalized the score in the 106th minute, and his shot towards the roof of the goal sparked enthusiastic scenes in both the USA and Madrid.

The South Americans applied their own pressure to score late on and Tottenham Hotspur defender Marcos Senesi almost leveled from close range.

But in the end, while Lamine Yamal and his Spanish teammates clung to a historic victory, it was not Messi who would make his final appearance on football’s biggest stage.

Joe Hart said on the BBC: ‘They were never shaken or under pressure. They didn’t gnaw even once. They always played good football.

‘Yamal, 19 years old, his confidence, the way he does it. Everyone will try to piggyback on him and hate him, but he has a European Championship and a World Cup. ‘He was very composed, kept his composure and had his moments that stood out.’

However, the match was at times overshadowed by the Argentinians’ antics.

Argentina’s behavior towards Spain, who mocked England’s stars in Atlanta on Wednesday, was described as ‘disgraceful’ by pundits after the final whistle tonight.

Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez 90+3 before chaotic scenes ensued as Spain’s win was confirmed. He saw red in his last tackle against Pau Cabarsi in the minute.

As the Spanish bench came down to the pitch to celebrate, Argentinian substitute Leandro Paredes got into an argument with Barcelona midfielder Gavi.

The pair tangled repeatedly, prompting Scaloni to intervene before former Juventus midfielder Paredes threw two punches at Gavi, who fell onto the pitch.

And speaking on the BBC, former Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney made harsh criticism of Argentina’s behavior not just on Sunday but throughout the tournament.

He said: ‘This doesn’t surprise me. We’ve seen this before in Argentina. It’s just sad, there are so many poor of them. If you lose a football match, be gracious. This is a reaction to their dominance. ‘Enzo Fernandez got what he deserved, he’s fine.’

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