Wayne Rooney did not hold back when asked about the 2026 FIFA World Cup final halftime show.
The former England captain gave a brutally honest review of the star-studded performance, calling it “crap” during BBC Sport’s live coverage after the match.
The halftime show featured a huge lineup of celebrities and performers, including Madonna, Justin Bieber, Shakira, BTS, The Muppets, and a surprise appearance from the cast of Ted Lasso.
When the BBC panel asked Rooney which part of the show he enjoyed the most, he delivered a response that immediately became a viral moment.
“I’ll be honest, when it finished,” Rooney said.
He added, “I like a lot of those artists, but I thought it was crap.”
The comment left presenter Gabby Logan and fellow pundits Micah Richards and Joe Hart laughing on air, with all three struggling to keep a straight face.
Rooney’s blunt verdict quickly spread across social media, where many fans praised him for saying what they were thinking.
One viewer wrote on X, “Fair play to Rooney for saying it as it is.”
Another added, “He’s telling the world what we were all thinking.”
Several fans also praised Rooney’s work as a pundit throughout the tournament, with one calling him “the breakout pundit of the World Cup” and saying he speaks his mind in a way that feels authentic.
Others jokingly suggested he “deserves a knighthood for telling the truth,” while some called him “the voice of the nation.”
@varietymagazine #JustinBieber performs a special version of “EVERYTHING HALLELUJAH” at the FIFA #WorldCup Final Halftime Show (via FOX)
The halftime show itself received mixed reviews from viewers. Some loved the variety of performers and the spectacle of the first-ever World Cup final halftime show, while others felt the pacing was uneven, especially during Justin Bieber’s acoustic performance.
Rooney’s viral moment came just days after fans teased him for temporarily losing his voice during BBC’s coverage of Spain’s semifinal win over France. His voice cracked while praising Pedro Porro’s tournament performances, causing Richards and Hart to burst into laughter.
In the end, Rooney watched Spain lift the World Cup trophy after Ferran Torres scored a dramatic injury-time winner against Argentina, but it was his hilarious halftime review that many viewers were still talking about long after the final whistle.
