Robbie Williams brought his A-game to the World Cup's closing ceremony at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey yesterday – and we thought he'd done enough to seal the deal. But little did we know, our Robbie had one last trick up his sleeve... or should that be on his face? The incident has been doing the rounds on social media, with some eagle-eyed fans spotting a white object seemingly drop from Williams' mouth area onto his microphone during an interview on MagentaTV's post-match coverage. It was all over the shop in an instant – and we're not just talking about the scoreline!
As the viral video shows, Robbie was left picking up the item before touching his hair, only to have it stick to his forehead. Cue speculation galore: some fans were convinced it was cocaine, while others thought it might be a piece of chewing gum or even a nasal decongestant. Whatever it was, one thing's for sure – Robbie gave them all a good laugh when he posted a tongue-in-cheek response on Instagram this morning.
Clad in his bed and looking every inch the cheeky chappie, Robbie deadpanned: "It was deeply unprofessional and people worried about me. But it’s OK, because I had several more!" – before sticking out his tongue to reveal two circular mints, captioning the post: “Just woke up and feeling…. Mint.” It's safe to say we're not surprised by Robbie's candour on the matter; after all, he's been as open about his past battles with booze and substances as a debutant striker is about scoring a hat-trick.
And let's not forget, our beloved Robbie has been a vocal advocate for cutting down on drinking and drugging. In an interview last month, he confirmed that he hasn't had a drop to drink in 25 years – and we reckon he's got the right idea. As he told El País: "We don’t need any of that stuff. Then it becomes a crutch and then people rely on it and I totally get it. But it’s such a crying shame that it is such a natural thing to do. I think it shouldn’t be a natural thing to do."
But for now, let's give Robbie some credit – he may have gotten off the hook (or should we say, out of the sticky situation?) with his trademark wit and charm intact. The closing ceremony itself was a real crowd-pleaser, with our Robbie joining forces with Laura Pausini and Nicole Scherzinger for an epic performance of 'Desire' – a track that's been re-released in its latest incarnation last Friday.
And as if all that wasn't enough, Robbie recently made history by claiming the 16th UK Number One album of his illustrious career with 'BRITPOP', surpassing The Beatles in the process. Talk about going out on a high note – the bloke's still got it, and we're absolutely loving every minute of it!