Robbie Williams will open the 2018 World Cup in Moscow on Thursday, just two years after Russian newspapers called for him to be banned from performing there.
The British pop star will perform alongside Russian soprano Aida Garifullina at the Luzhniki Stadium before the hosts take on Saudi Arabia in the tournament opener.
His set list will likely include popular hits such as Angels and Let Me Entertain You, but one song which probably won’t be sung in front of Vladimir Putin is the 2016 single ‘Party Like a Russian’.
The track’s lyrics are full of stereotypes about violent Russian aristocrats and it caused a great deal of upset in Russia upon its release.
Many publications described the song as offensive and said he should never play in the country again.