Wayne Rooney has described FIFA President Gianni Infantino's decision to wear trainers with his suit during the World Cup final trophy presentation as 'stupid'. The former England striker, working as a BBC pundit, made the comment live on air as Infantino walked onto the pitch alongside US President Donald Trump before presenting Spain with the trophy.
Rooney's reaction on BBC coverage
As Infantino and Trump made their way across the pitch, BBC presenter Gabby Logan prompted a discussion about the FIFA chief's footwear. Former England goalkeeper Joe Hart said: 'Waz's (Rooney's) golf partner there.' The comment initially drew no response from Rooney, with Logan adding: 'He's hung you out to dry there.'
Micah Richards then joked: 'It's the first time you've been speechless!' Rooney replied: 'I'm speechless at Infantino's trainers, he talks about everything else, and then he comes. He has to represent FIFA better than that. With those trainers on, it's stupid.'
Logan added: 'That's half-time entertainment, that's VAR and trainers with suits, that's a trio of hate from Wayne Rooney at this World Cup. There's a few other things that you might want to bring up with it, but his trainers will be on the list.'
Spain's World Cup victory
Spain won the World Cup for the second time in their history with a 1-0 extra-time victory over Argentina. Ferran Torres scored the decisive goal in the 106th minute after a tightly contested match. Argentina had been reduced to 10 men just before full-time when Enzo Fernandez received a second yellow card.
Fan reaction on social media
Rooney was not alone in criticising Infantino's footwear. Supporters took to social media to share their thoughts. One fan posted: 'You could see Infantino's trainers from space.' Another wrote: 'Rooney having pop at Infantino's white trainers, calling them “stupid”. Class.'
A third commented: 'Look, its very much not the worst thing he has done, but Infantino combining a dark grey suit with the whitest trainers in history just reeks of a man out of touch with reality.' A fourth added: 'Right at the end, Infantino wearing white trainers with his suit is the worst thing that's happened at the World Cup. Congrats.'
Trophy presentation and Trump's involvement
After handing out medals, Infantino and Trump presented the World Cup trophy to Spain captain Rodri, who was also named player of the tournament. Despite hints from Rodri and Infantino that he should leave the podium, Trump lingered during the trophy lift. He was quickly ushered off stage by the FIFA president. This is not the first time Trump has remained on stage during a trophy presentation; a similar incident occurred when Chelsea lifted the Club World Cup last summer.
