16 World Cup viral moments – from Posh Spice’s slow reaction to Haaland’s bromance
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This summer’s World Cup action has played out in homes, pubs and fan parks across the UK
We’ve seen football stars light up the field – and occasionally break our hearts. Plus plenty of punditry, whether on a Brooklyn balcony or in a Salford studio, glamorous celebrities, hydration break controversies and online watch parties with the likes of IShowSpeed
Moments like these and from the wider tournament have spilled onto our social feeds, of course, producing many memes
So as the tournament draws to a close, here are some of the more memorable viral moments and trends from over the past five weeks
1. Posh keeps cool in the Miami heat
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While former England captain Sir David Beckham was seen punching the air with delight as England beat Norway in Miami, his wife, Spice Girl Victoria became queen of the World Cup meme for remaining calmly seated in the family executive box
Comedian Jenny Johnson poked fun at her cool demeanour on Instagram joking that her “energy is electric”
Inter Miami FC co-owner Sir Becks came to Posh’s defence, though, replying that “she was celebrating inside, I promise. Her reactions were slightly slower than mine”
2. Tartan Army take over Boston
Scotland may have exited after the group stage but their supporters left a lasting impression
Led by bagpipers, the Tartan Army marched through Boston to see the Red Sox, taking over Fenway Park
US baseball players hailed the atmosphere they created – by singing Scottish football anthems including Yes Sir, I Can Boogie and I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) – as among the best they have experienced outside the World Series
The fans ingratiated themselves to the locals so much that the Mayor of Boston, Michelle Wu, now plans to formalise an international partnership between the city and Glasgow
Their trip to Miami looked not half bad too
3. Emma Hayes in the ‘kitchen’ with the tactics board
ITV
The popular football magazine Four Four Two last week selected USA and former Chelsea manager Emma Hayes as its pundit of the tournament
Hayes “has made the hydration breaks must-watch TV for every game ITV have put her on”, noted writer Steven Chicken
But the network had to upgrade her tactics corner after viewers made allegations of sexism regarding her set resembling a kitchen with a chalkboard
Hayes addressed the criticism during a break in the Brazil v Haiti game, however, by wryly encouraging viewers to focus on her match analysis instead
“I know that’s a challenge for some of us at home,” she quipped, signing off with a pointed “pay attention”
4. IShowSpeed now shows games
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IShowSpeed, the backflipping, barking and half-and-half shirt-wearing internet personality, will perform his song (World Cup) Champions at the closing ceremony before Sunday’s final
Revealing the news on Tuesday, he said it would be “one of my most craziest achievements”
The influencer and online streamer has been one of the real winners at this year’s World Cup, hosting online watch parties from inside stadiums during games
And while his style of commentary may be a little bit different to Lee Dixon or Alan Shearer, his 52 million followers have been able to see official feeds of certain matchesng them, Fox and Fifa
Presenter and commentator Chris Latchem tells us: “Fifa want him there because, in a weird roundabout way, he is attracting the legacy stars because they want to be around him because younger people, like their kids, are like, ‘Oh wow, did you see Beckham was with Speed?’.”
To top it all off, the star was gifted a pair of game-worn boots by his idol,Cristiano Ronaldo. A flipping good result
5. The Rest is Gary Lineker (he’s been everywhere)
Former Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker took his podcast, The Rest is Football, to Netflix for the World Cup
He’s been based in a Times Square studio but one of his fellow podcasters Micah Richards has been commuting back and forth from the Big Apple to Salford to fulfil his BBC duties
In a weird moment, Lineker – who left the BBC last year after an antisemitism row – briefly re-appeared on the broadcaster, gate-crashing Richards’ analysis of the England v Norway match, which he was doing
The former England striker popped up in the background in his England shirt to declare “definitely a penalty” and “come on England” – while Richards was left speechless
This all came a few weeks after Lineker, England’s all-time second-top World Cup scorer, had presented a surprise opening link for ITV
“Woah woah woah,” joked actual presenter Laura Woods. “Gary, that’s my job.”
Wherever will he pop up next?
6. Cape Verde keeper reunited with mother
Cape Verde became the smallest country to make the knockout stages and won hearts in the process
Forty-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha became an overnight global sensation after playing a starring role in his nation’s opening draw against one of the favourites, Spain
It led to him being reunited with his mother, Ana Cândida Évora, who had initially been unable to travel because of the high costs of getting a US visa
But better late than never, and with the help of Washington officials she made it in time to embrace her son in training before attending the Uruguay game
Vozinha’s team-mate, winger Sidny Cabral provided another moment of joy, scoring an incredible extra-time equaliser against Argentina, before heading up into the crowd as if he’d just won Wimbledon to find and hug a loved one of his own
The beautiful game
7. Zlatan and Henry show Lalas how it’s done
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In the US coverage, Fox pundit and ex-USA international Alexi Lalas appeared to be losing the battle of analysis styles with Thierry Henry
But the knockout blow was landed when the French World Cup winner dummied to roll the ball to Lalas, only to recover it with gallic flair, then putting on an impressive display of kick-ups alongside Zlatan Ibrahimovic as the humbled American looked on
“The studio will never forget,” as Zlatan put it on Instagram
8. The Haaland-Bellingham bromance
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Despite having been the top scorer in the English Premier for several years, Erling Haaland seems to have passed North America by – until now
It all changed this summer with the internet effectively honouring the eccentric giant Norway and Manchester City striker with his own cinematic universe of memes on TikTok and Instagram
And there was plenty of material to draw on, with Haaland featuring alongside his stunt double Channing Tatum in an epic World Cup advert before bagging seven goals, many thousands of new followers and then returning home… with a stuffed racoon
But it was perhaps his bromance with former Borussia Dortmund team-mate, England star Jude Bellingham that garnered the most attention – as old images and clips of them together resurfaced ahead of their quarter-final match-up
“He’s such a good guy… we had so much fun together,” noted the Norwegian afterwards. “England is lucky” to have him, he added
9. The Viking row
Goal machine Haaland led the Norway fans in their now famous Viking row following their big win over Brazil
After 28 years waiting for a World Cup appearance, their supporters were found rowing everywhere, from Times Square (above) to cinemas back home
It was quite a sight
Not all Norway fans were having it, though. Emil Anners Lappen was seen sat among the mass rowers unmoved – a la Posh Spice
He told Sky News he found the whole thing “really stupid” and “annoying” as well as historically inaccurate
“The Vikings sailed across the Atlantic,” he stressed. “They did not row.”
10. Henderson’s night to remember/forget
At the Azteca, England’s Jordan Henderson managed to get himself booked and then suffer a freak arm and wrist injury – all despite having not even played
The unused veteran was stretchered off and taken to hospital for surgery after hurting himself hurdling an advertising board in the victory celebrations
11. Harry Kane’s hoarse interview
Henderson’s captain Harry Kane seemed unconcerned about the injured midfielder, though, in his post match press interview
He was more worried about the fact his voice had gone on live TV, and in comedy fashion
If you’d closed your eyes you’d have been forgiven for thinking Kermit the Frog was answering BBC reporter Kelly Somers’ questions
Rooney, who was cracking up in the studio alongside Richards and former England goalie Joe Hart, called it “the best interview I’ve ever seen”
But why was Kane’s voice so shot?
12. Wonderwall becomes England anthem
Because (maybe) he’d been singing Wonderwall, of course!
Sang by supporters (including Beckham) and players alike after all five of England’s victories – from Dallas to Miamisurge back up the charts
One music journalist told us it was the “perfect football song” with its melodious mix of “euphoria and melancholy”
13. Belgium players do the Trump dance
One of the most controversial moments of the tournament saw Fifa overturn a red card given to USA striker Folarin Balogun, after a quick phone call between the US President Donald Trump and his Fifa counterpart, Gianna Infantino
A Trump card, if you will
It meant Balogun could line up against Belgium, who routinely thrashed the co-hosts anyway
Belgium’s own star striker Romalu Lukaku celebrated his goal by pointing an angry finger up towards where the dignitaries sit before leading his side in a dance that appeared to mock the US president’s famous moves
Footage shared online showed the players continuing the dance in the changing room afterwards to the tune of a song Trump frequently plays at rallies – YMCA
14. Lamine Yamal’s ‘extremely cute’ brother
That was how BBC presenter Kelly Cates described him and it’s hard to disagree
The Spain winger’s three-year-old brother Keyne has been another viral sensation this summer, discovering golf to be an incredibly frustrating sport, among other things
Keyne lost the plot in a wholesome way having caught himself on the big screen after Spain’s win over Belgium
Luckily his big brother, still only 19 himself, appeared to spot it and was seen smiling up at him from the pitch
Yamal, as a baby boy himself, was famously pictured being bathed by then Barcelona star Lionel Messi
Now the two will meet in Sunday’s final
15. DR Congo fan stands still like a statue
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DR Congo superfan Michel Kuka Mboladinga, better known as Lumumba Vea or the “living statue”, became one of the most recognisable spectators early on in the tournament
He was pictured being completely still for the duration of matches, with one arm raised while smartly dressed in his country’s colours
The stance recreates that of a statue housed in his country’s capital Kinshasa – a tribute to Patrice Lumumba, the first prime minister of the First Congolese Republic in 1960
But it could also work well as an offside trap
16. Merlin the duck’s magic World Cup
And finally, Scotland fans found their own duck, as did Argentina. But the mightiest one for sure was Merlin, who became co-hosts Mexico’s World Cup “ambassador” after videos of the family pet were shared on social media
The two-year-old was seen proudly waddling through the streets of Mexico City in his kit
It’s fair to say, he had a quacking tournament
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