Ball of a time

Sheetal

FIFA 2022 wrapped up on Sunday late night as Lionel Messi’s Argentina took the trophy home defeating the defending champions, France. Indian celebs were very much part of the FIFA fanfare from the beginning till the end, as Deepika Padukone unveiled the FIFA trophy during the finals. Here are Bollywood celebs who were seen during the final game.

In a plastic bag!

Being the first Indian brand ambassador of the French luxury brand Louis Vuitton, Deepika Padukone chose to wear LV for the prestigious event. She was dressed in white blouse with sleeveless tan-hues parka, a black pleated midi-skirt paired with black belt and boots. After unveiling of the trophy, many called Deepika’s outfit choice a fashion failure. All of those who were unimpressed although commended how Deepika carried herself, but trolled her stylist brutally for making her dress up in a plastic bag!

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In the final moments

• Nora Fatehi, a celebrated dancer who has roots in Morocco, performed again at the closing ceremony. Clad in a shiny outfit with lots of frills, the Dilbar singer paired up her look with long lace stockings and shoes to complete her all-black attire. She sang a portion of the anthem in English and Hindi, as she danced with a number of back-up dancers.
• On Sunday night at Lusail Iconic Stadium, Deepika created history as she unveiled the FIFA trophy, the first Indian to do so. Deepika Padukone unveiled the FIFA Trophy at the Lusail Iconic Stadium in Qatar during the finals. Meanwhile, her husband and actor Ranveer Singh was present at the final too. He later wrote, “The greatest World Cup final ever and I was there.”
• Kartik Aaryan also went to Qatar to watch the final and was supporting France. In the Instagram stories, while he cheered his favourite team and wrote, ‘Go France’, by the end when the other team won, he called the finale game, ‘The Greatest Final match ever’. Not forgetting to promote his upcoming film Shehzada, he shared a picture post of Lionel Messi with an edited crown over his head and called him Shehzada of Football. He also shared a glimpse from the closing ceremony and a picture with celebrity fashion designer Manish Malhotra, also at the finals.
• Ananya Panday wore Argentinean jersey and was supporting the winning team. Ishaan Khatter, Dino Morea and many other celebs also made it to final.
• Director Farah Khan and actor Aayush Sharma were seen along with their respective kids for the nail-biting final match. They shared a picture from the stands.
• Before the electrifying action started, the two South-Indian superstars, Mohanlal and Mammootty, tweeted about their presence at the stadium. “At Lusail Stadium, joining the world to witness the clash of the titans and partake in the world’s favourite madness. Awaiting a phenomenal and entertaining game from the bests, just like you all!” wrote Mohanlal.
• Ahead of the Argentina and France match, SRK, along with former England Footballer Wayne Rooney, were present for a live interaction from Mumbai. Promoting his upcoming film Pathaan at the FIFA World Cup final, SRK taught ‘The Wonder Boy’ of football Wayne Rooney his iconic signature pose ahead of the match.

Humble presence

When journalist Martin Brundle ‘momentarily’ admitted that he had forgotten who Ranveer Singh was, the latter introduced himself as, “I’m a Bollywood actor, sir. I hail from Mumbai, India. I am an entertainer.”

Like a dream

Nora Fatehi performance at the Fan Fest was conceptualised, designed and implemented by ace choreographer Rajit Dev. He shares, “It was all like a dream, I love playing football and am a big fan FIFA even on Play Station. I got to meet the FIFA president and legendary players like Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, Drogba and John Terry.”

Drake loses $1 million

Rapper Drake lost a whopping $1 million after betting on the FIFA World Cup final between Argentina and France. The Canadian superstar lost the massive amount despite picking Argentina to win over France in the Sunday match.

As posted on Drake’s Instagram Story, he made the bet on Stakes and would’ve earned $2.75 million if he had won. Footage of the OVO Sound co-founder supporting the Latin American country also surfaced on the Internet. In the clip, he was featured with a friend as saying, “I’ll take Argentina, he’ll take France.”

Casino streamer Roshtein aka Ishmale Schwartz matched Drake’s bet for France. “@roshtein my bet is in for tmrw @stake,” the ‘In My Feelings’ hit-maker posted on his Instagram Story. When Roshtein posted his bet, he wrote, “Oui monsieur @champagnepapi vive la France @stake”, revealing that he would’ve earned $100,000 more if he had won.

While Lionel Messi eventually led Argentina to win the final match against France, their victory was only sealed after a 4-2 penalty shootout. Unfortunately for Drake, he placed his bet in the 1×2 market that doesn’t account for extra time! —IANS

Twitter trail

Thank u #Messi for making us all believe in talent, hard work & dreams. –Shah Rukh Khan Vamos Argentina. What a WC victory this one was. – Ajay Devgn

MESSI-ahh! A lifetime of dreaming and performing at the highest level! Finally rewarded! – Randeep Hooda

Unbelievable game of football! … – Yuvraj Singh