‘Just stop’ – Tom Cruise’s ‘ridiculous’ pre-World Cup final speech leaves fans totally baffled

WORLD CUP fans were left scratching their heads during Tom Cruise’s dramatic pre-final speech. Hollywood star Cruise, 64, talked about the planet coming together, from the middle of the MetLife Stadium pitch, before the ding-dong between Spain and Argentina. Tom Cruise gave a rousing speech before the World Cup final Credit: Getty Fans questioned why Cruise was the man drafted in for a football match Credit: Getty He began: “More than 30 days ago, 48 nations began a journey. They crossed oceans, they crossed borders, they crossed cultures. And together they showed us why this game belongs to the world.” But the fans who tuned in just for the football were having absolutely none of it. Sign up for the Football newsletter Thank you! One moaned on X: “That Tom Cruise speech was ridiculous.” Another added: “Why on earth is Tom Cruise delivering a speech before the World Cup final? Just stop.” READ MORE ON THE WORLD CUP And a third replied: “What does he have to do with football?” Cruise did, however, get one thing right from the perspective of non-American fans. Because when his speech turned to the sport in question, he termed it “football” rather than “soccer”. And that went down well with the masses. Most read in Sport WORLD CUP 2026 FREE BETS AND SIGN UP OFFERS WORLD CUP FINAL LIVE: ALL THE LATEST FROM SPAIN VS ARGENTINA One smug punter wrote: “He called the World Cup football not soccer ahhh.” Another added: “At least he called it football not soccer.” A third chimed in with: “He called it football and not soccer. Let that sink in.” And a fourth responded: “It’s over GG the argument is finally settled.” Comment now