Roy Keane had the ITV studio in absolute stitches during the World Cup final halftime break with a typically mischievous one-liner about Shakira.
The 54-year-old Manchester United legend was broadcasting from ITV’s rooftop studio beside the Brooklyn Bridge when he was asked what he made of the musical spectacle during Spain’s clash with Argentina.
“It was a bit of an anti-climax, but I think the people in the stadium probably enjoyed it more than us,” Keane said.
“But it’s always nice to see Shakira.”
Roy Keane had the ITV studio in stitches with his Shakira quip
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ITV
That was all it took. Gary Neville, Ian Wright, and presenter Mark Pougatch completely lost it, erupting into uncontrollable laughter.
Over on BBC One, Wayne Rooney was even less diplomatic about the whole thing.
The 40-year-old former England captain was working as a pundit at MetLife Stadium alongside Joe Hart and Micah Richards when presenter Gabby Logan asked the panel for their highlights.
“I’ll be honest, mine was when it finished,” Rooney replied.
“I like a lot of them artists but I thought it was crap. It just didn’t get me going and I wanted the football to come back on. I like Burna Boy, I like Bieber, I like Shakira, but that was too flat.”
Shakira headlined the half-time show with appearances from Burna Boy and Justin Bieber
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REUTERS
The half-time show was not a hit as World Cup viewers across the globe asked collectively what is the point
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REUTERSRichards, who loved Shakira and Burna Boy’s sets, promptly called his former international teammate “miserable” for the brutally honest take.
Fans on social media couldn’t believe what they’d heard from Keane, with one writing: “Roy Keane over on ITV was delighted to see Shakira.”
Logan, meanwhile, leaned into Rooney’s candour with a quip of her own: “I’ll tell you what else you get on the BBC: honest reviews.”
Wright wasn’t shy about singling out Justin Bieber’s contribution either, feeling the Canadian star had brought the energy down rather than lifting it.
“I felt like maybe he should have been a little bit more upbeat and livened us up a bit. It felt a bit down,” the former Arsenal striker said.
Spain went on to win the World Cup after a turgid match against Argentina
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REUTERSNeville, though, was having none of the negativity. “I quite enjoyed it,” he said. “Let’s hope the second half picks up and there’s loads of energy.”
The halftime extravaganza was an 11-minute production that stretched the usual 15-minute interval to a whopping 27 minutes. FIFA chief Gianni Infantino had unveiled plans for the show back in March 2025, with Coldplay frontman Chris Martin brought on board to curate the whole affair.
Madonna made arguably the most dramatic entrance of the lot, driven onto the pitch by Brazilian icons Ronaldo and Ronaldinho for her performance of Music.
South Korean boyband BTS and Nigerian star Burna Boy rounded out a star-studded lineup alongside Shakira and Bieber at the New Jersey venue.