Ian Wright has criticized the condition of the pitch at MetLife Stadium during the World Cup final between Spain and Argentina, calling it 'ridiculous, bobbly and poor'. The surface, which has been a point of contention throughout the tournament, saw players like Lionel Messi struggle with ball control. The natural grass turf, installed over an artificial base, dries out quickly in the heat, affecting play. Several stars including Vinicius Jr and Didier Deschamps have previously complained about the surface.
Ian Wright has hit out at the state of the World Cup final pitch, dubbing it 'ridiculous, bobbly and poor'. The MetLife Stadium in New Jersey has come in for criticism throughout this summer's tournament, and once again appeared dry and patchy as Spain took on Argentina on Sunday night.
A number of instances saw stars, including the great Lionel Messi, struggle to control the ball as it bobbled along the uneven surface. And, speaking during ITV's half-time coverage of the clash, Wright didn't hold any punches while assessing the venue for the biggest game in the footballing calendar. He said: 'For a World Cup final this pitch is ridiculous, it's poor, it shouldn't be on it.
'I think Spain are playing and showing how good they are because even on a bobbly, dry pitch like this, they're doing really good stuff. Ian Wright has hit out at the state of the World Cup final pitch, dubbing it 'ridiculous, bobbly and poor' The turf in New Jersey has come in for criticism throughout the tournament 'I think Argentina will stay in it but, for me, Spain are passing it all over the place.
It's only a matter of time before they take one of these chances.
' The 80,000-capacity MetLife sits on the outskirts of New York, which was hit by severe thunderstorms causing flooding in the hours ahead of kick-off in the sweltering east coast sunshine. Yet the pitch had been deemed subpar by players and managers long before it was hit by rainfall. It predominantly consists of natural grass, but the turf has been installed over an artificial surface underneath which can make it 'dry out' quickly when temperatures soar.
Brazil star Vinicius Jr was one of the stars who took issue with the surface earlier in the tournament, telling reporters after his country's 1-1 draw with Morocco: 'Because of the weather and the heat, the grass dries out quickly and the game ends up being very slow.
'We can't build up a rhythm. That makes things difficult because we want to move the ball from one side to the other and this disrupts our game.
' French coach Didier Deschamps later criticised the venue, saying: 'The pitch in New York was really tough - it took a lot out of the players' muscles. ' Wright's comments came moments before the broadcaster's coverage cut to the highly-anticipated half-time show, which was facilitated by a controversial interval of 30 minutes.
A star-studded half-time show featured performances from Shakira and Justin Bieber It featured a star-studded lineup including performances by Shakira, Burna Boy, Justin Bieber and Madonna - and even cameo appearances from footballing royalty Ronaldinho and Ronaldo. Madonna kickstarted the performance with her hit 'Music', walking out onto the field with 2002 World Cup winners and Brazilian legends Ronaldo and Ronaldinho.
Bieber was then introduced by Ted Lasso for a short, slow acoustic performance while a montage of the tournament was playing on the big screens around the 80,000-seater stadium. Shakira later returned and injected some energy into the show before the performance came to an end and the preparation for the second half quickly restarted. Yet ITV's panel of pundits were left less than impressed by the show - as was Wayne Rooney on the BBC.
Keane said: 'A bit of anti-climax but I think the people in the stadium probably enjoyed it more than us. It was nice to see Shakira.
' Wright added: ' Bieber should have done something a bit more upbeat to liven us up a bit. ' While Rooney reflected bluntly: 'My favourite bit of the half time show was when it finished… I like all of them artists but I thought it was crap. ' A host of stars flooded to New Jersey for the climax of this summer's tournament.
Before kick-off, Top Gun and Mission Impossible superstar Tom Cruise took to the pitch to give a motivational pre-match speech. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump was pictured sat in his luxury suite next to FIFA President Gianni Infantino. Celebrity couple Timothee Chalament and Kylie Jenner were also snapped in the stands, as were Mick Jagger, Pharrell Williams, Victoria Beckham and Will Ferrell. How much is David Beckham set to pocket from his World Cup brand deals? Take on our quiz in our newsletter HERE.
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Ian Wright Slams World Cup Final Pitch as 'Ridiculous, Bobbly and Poor'Ian Wright has expressed his disappointment with the state of the World Cup final pitch at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. The pitch has been criticized throughout the tournament for being dry and patchy, causing difficulties for players to control the ball. Wright's comments came before the half-time show, which featured performances from Shakira, Justin Bieber, and other stars. Despite the controversy surrounding the venue, a host of celebrities attended the game, including Tom Cruise, President Donald Trump, and Kylie Jenner.
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