Soccer legend Wayne Rooney did not hold back after the first-ever FIFA World Cup final halftime show. Speaking live on the BBC after the July 19 performance, the former England star said he liked many of the artists involved, but thought the show was “crap.”
The star-studded spectacle took place during the final between Spain and Argentina at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, with performers including Madonna, Shakira, Justin Bieber, BTS, and more. The halftime show was a first for a World Cup final and supported the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, which aims to expand access to education and soccer opportunities for children worldwide.
While FIFA President Gianni Infantino praised the show as “spectacular and unifying,” Rooney’s blunt review quickly became one of the night’s biggest talking points. It may have happened away from the pitch, but it proved that even a carefully planned World Cup moment can still divide viewers.
And World Cup history is full of moments that did far more than divide opinion. Over the decades, the tournament has seen shocking referee errors, costly fouls, disastrous own goals, stolen trophies, humiliating defeats, and even mistakes with tragic consequences.
When the eyes of the world are on soccer’s biggest stage, there is very little room for error. Click through this gallery to check out some of the biggest fails in FIFA World Cup history.