The first-ever halftime show for the FIFA World Cup Final on Sunday, July 19 was a star-studded affair that drew mixed reviews.
Madonna kicked off the show, entering New York New Jersey stadium singing her 2000 hit “Music,” flanked by Brazilian soccer legends Ronaldo and Ronaldinho.
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The Muppets continued the show with the White Stripes anthem “Seven Nation Army,” which led straight into BTS and their hit, “Dynamite.”
Ted Lasso stars Jason Sudeikis and Brendan Hunt, in character, then introduced the next performer. “We need some heart. You know, someone that has soul. Someone who can bring the love,” said Sudeikis, before summoning Justin Bieber.
“All right young man, let’s go. It’s your big shot,” Sudeikis counseled the pop star. “Don’t be nervous. Nobody’s watching.”
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Bieber then played an acoustic guitar while singing his song, “Everything Hallelujah.”
“BTS delivering a banger performance then Justin Bieber comes out and genuinely puts me to sleep,” complained one fan on X, while another noted that the “Justin Bieber interlude was beyond bizarre: quite a haunting song for…a World Cup final, and then he just sort of walked off on his own, half the length of the pitch, as though they’d completely forgotten about him.”
But Beliebers were thrilled, commenting with heart emojis and praise. “I actually love that Justin Bieber takes every live performanceo opportunity he gets these days to just be a musician,” one fan wrote on X.
But despite his low-key performance, there was drama behind the scenes between the “Baby” singer, 32, and the Material Girl, 67, according to a Daily Mail report on July 19.
“Neither wants to walk away feeling like they played second fiddle,” a source told the outlet, adding that the show’s organizer, Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, has been left to sort out the “tension behind the scenes.”
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One fan’s solution? “Could’ve just had Shakira and that’s it. She was the most entertaining part of the show as usual,” a commenter wrote on X of the “Hips Don’t Lie” star, who was joined by Burna Boy to finish out the show with a high-energy performance of their World Cup anthem “Dai, Dai.”
This story Justin Bieber Gives ‘Haunting’ Performance at FIFA World Cup Final Amid Rumored Madonna Feud first appeared on InTouch Weekly. Follow InTouch Weekly on Yahoo so you don’t miss what’s coming next.