MOSCOW- Popstar Robbie Williams will perform at the World Cup opening ceremony in Moscow, two years after his controversial song about Russia sparked anger in the country.
William will entertain the crowd before the football tournament’s opening match between Russia and Saudi Arabia on Thursday.
It comes after Williams was forced to deny his 2016 song Party Like A Russian included derogatory references to Russian president Vladimir Putin.
In the track, Williams sings about a leader who “alleviates the cash from a whole entire nation, takes loose change and builds his own space station,” and adds: “Ain’t no refutin’ or disputin’ – I’m a modern Rasputin”, while women dressed as ballerinas dance around him in the music video.
Along with Robbie Williams, the former Brazil striker Ronaldo will also be featuring the event. Fans all over the world are excited for the much waited Mega event of the year.
Williams said: “I’m so happy and excited to be going back to Russia for such a unique performance.
“I’ve done a lot in my career, and opening the FIFA World Cup to 80,000 football fans in the stadium and many millions all over the world is a boyhood dream.”