Robbie Williams mocked as he's likened to Sopranos character after bold World Cup outfit
Robbie Williams mocked as he's likened to Sopranos character after bold World Cup outfit
Hannah Furnell Sun, July 19, 2026 at 8:11 PM UTC
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Robbie Williams was mocked over the oufit her wore during his performance at the 2026 FIFA World Cup closing ceremony.
On Sunday, July 19, ahead of the World Cup final between Spain and defending champions Argentina, the 52-year-old British pop star took to the stage at New York-New Jersey Stadium alongside Italian singer Laura Pausini and Pussycat Dolls frontwoman Nicole Scherzinger for a rendition of the official FIFA anthem Desire.
Ahead of the performance, the closing ceremony was plunged into chaos as audience members were left confused by a delay. However, the three singers eventually performed wearing matching blue outfits. Williams, who donned a matching dark blue tracksuit, was then quickly mocked for looking like Paulie 'Walnuts' Gualtieri from The Sopranos.
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His salt-and-pepper hair was spiked up in a similar do to Paulie's, but his tracksuit is what really made viewers liken him to the fictional character, who frequently wore them on the hit HBO show.
On X, one social media user shared a snap of Williams alongside Paulie and wrote, "Robbie Williams or Paulie Walnuts ... you decide ...."
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Another mocked, "Robbie is turning into Paulie Walnuts," as a third joked, "When did Robbie Williams morph into Pauly Walnuts????"
A fourth echoed, "Why is Robbie Williams dressed as Pauli Nuts from the Soprano's," as a fifth laughed, "F---. It's Paulie Walnuts."
Yet another added, "I think I know where Robbie Williams took his inspiration for tonight's look from," alongside a snap of Paulie.
Ahead of Williams, Pausini, and Scherzinger's performance, sports journalist Daniel Storey took to X to inform his followers of a major development, plunging the closing ceremony into chaos.
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According to the journalist, the stage equipment for the closing ceremony had been "removed from the pitch" and that Williams' fans would be angry, as they'd paid a lot of money to come see him.
However, minutes later, the three singers took to the stage.
Storey said on X, "All the closing ceremony stuff removed from the pitch. Not quite sure if it has been cut short, but thousands of people here have paid thousands of dollars specifically to see Robbie Williams. There's going to be hell to pay."
In the comments of Storey's post, one person wrote, "Right??? I had to sign up for the Fox One app. Where tf is Robbie???"
Another fumed, "They'll cram it into the 50 min long half time show." A third slammed, "Please sue @FIFAcom," as another raged, "Very droll."
The World Cup final featured two live performances: the closing ceremony and the half-time show, with Jennifer Hudson singing the National Anthem before the match.
The 52-year-old performer previously made headlines at the 2018 World Cup during his opening performance in Moscow, when he flashed a middle finger to the camera while singing his 2000 hit Rock DJ.
In 2025, he was named the official FIFA Music Ambassador before co-writing and recording Desire.
The closing ceremony also featured actor Tom Cruise and featured singer Post Malone as the headliner during the halftime show, along with streamer iShowSpeed.
The halftime show was curated by Coldplay's Chris Martin and features performances from Justin Bieber, Madonna, Shakira, Gustavo Dudamel, and BTS.
Ahead of the final match, FIFA's Chief Operating Officer released a statement, which read, "Echoing the spirit of the opening ceremonies, which welcomed the world to the greatest stage in Canada, Mexico and the United States, the closing ceremony will bring the FIFA World Cup 2026 full circle through music, culture and football, before we kick off the highly anticipated match that will crown the champions of this groundbreaking tournament."
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
