World Cup final: How Donald Trump, Justin Bieber and Shakira starred
In addition to Trump’s arrival, the other most talked about topic in the run-up to the final was the Super Bowl-style halftime show.
While the mid-game break is usually for players to recover from a first-half effort, coaches to give a team talk, and fans to purchase food and drinks, this time it was extended to allow for a mini-concert to be held.
Some big names took part, including Madonna, BTS, Coldplay and Shakira, whose song ‘Dai Dai’ is the official anthem of the World Cup, and Justin Bieber also appeared on stage.
After receiving a pep talk from Ted Lasso and his assistant coach Beard, Bieber changed the tempo of the energetic performances with an acoustic guitar version of ‘Everything Hallelujah’.
Half-time lasted 27 minutes, but did it work? Fan reaction was a bit mixed, but former England striker Wayne Rooney’s assessment in the Match of the Day studio was quite clear.
“I thought it was bullshit,” he said. “I thought the performances were bad. The timings were bad. Let’s play football.”
Meanwhile, the pre-game closing ceremony was similar in style to many other ceremonies, with the addition of loud music, on-field dancing and a dramatic speech from actor Cruise.
