Robbie Williams' choice of attire for the World Cup Final's closing ceremony on Sunday sparked online discussion, with many drawing comparisons to a memorable character from the HBO series "The Sopranos."
Williams took to the stage at New York's MetLife Stadium wearing a sparkly blue tracksuit adorned with diamantes. This fashion statement quickly drew parallels to the distinctive tracksuit worn by the character Paulie 'Walnuts' Gualtieri, a mobster and later captain in the DiMeo crime family, played by the late Tony Sirico.
Users on social media platform X shared images of Williams and Gualtieri side-by-side, with captions such as "Robbie Williams is in his Paulie from The Sopranos era." Sirico, who portrayed Paulie, passed away in 2022.
The closing ceremony itself, which featured performances from other artists including Laura and Nicole Scherzinger, and was preceded by a performance from YouTuber IShowSpeed, also drew criticism. Tom Cruise, who was billed as a headliner, made an appearance shortly before kickoff. The halftime show, which included Madonna, Justin Bieber, Shakira, and the Muppets, was also met with divided opinions from celebrities and fans alike.