FIFA World Cup 2014 Closing Ceremony Performances: Will 'Waka Waka' Singer Shakira Deliver What Pitbull, Jennifer and Claudia Failed?

The organizers of FIFA World Cup 2014 have roped in Latino singer, Shakira to perform live at the closing ceremony on Sunday after receiving flaks for the mediocre opening ceremony. She will be expected to deliver what Pitbull, Jennifer Lopez and Claudia Leitte failed on the first day – to entertain the crowd and television viewers across the globe.

The 25-minute opening ceremony of FIFA World Cup 2014 was a failure with many considering it as the worst World Cup opening ceremony ever. Many took to Twitter and other social networking sites to express their disappointment. Even the performance of theme song "We Are One (Ole Ola)" by Pitbull, Jennifer Lopez and Claudia Leitte did not live up to the expectations.

Shakira, whose 2010 FIFA World Cup official song "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)" became the biggest-selling World Cup song of all time and eighth most-watched video on YouTube, will perform again at the closing ceremony on Sunday.

The 37-year-old singer will hog the limelight again at the Maracana on Sunday as she hits the stage to perform her song, La La La (Brazil 2014)" with Brazilian artist Carlinhos Brown. It will be her third performance in World Cup after her appearances in 2006 and 2010, and she met her present partner Gerard Pique, Spanish footballer, during the shooting of "Waka Waka" music video.

"I have an intricate relationship with football for obvious reasons," Shakira said in a statement obtained by Billboard. "For me the World Cup carries such a tremendous personal connection as well. This will be my third consecutive FIFA World Cup performance, and the 2010 FIFA World Cup changed my life forever -- it's where I began the love story of my life, and now have my son Milan as a result."

"For all of those reasons I just feel so grateful for the opportunity to come back to perform at the Closing Ceremony of this year's FIFA World Cup in Brazil, it feels right. The fans have shown the most incredible support for this song and I can't wait to perform it for them."

Interestingly, Shakira's song, "La La La (Brazil 2014)" is more popular than the official song "We Are One (Ole Ola)". It has been on Billboard's Hot 100 chart for six weeks, peaking at No. 53 in June before dropping to 60-77 this week, while "We Are One" peaked at No. 59 and currently ranked at No. 90, according to Billboard. 

"I have an intricate relationship with football for obvious reasons," Shakira said in a statement obtained by Billboard. The singer's partner is Spanish soccer player Gerard Pique, with whom she has a son, Milan, who is featured kicking a soccer ball on the "La La La" video.

"For me the World Cup carries such a tremendous personal connection as well. This will be my third consecutive FIFA World Cup performance, and the 2010 FIFA World Cup changed my life forever -- it's where I began the love story of my life, and now have my son Milan as a result," added Shakira.

The closing ceremony will be a sort of music extravaganza with Carlos Santana teaming up with Wyclef Jean, Alexandre Pires and Avicii to perform "Dar Um Jeito (We Will Find A Way)" and Brazilian superstar Ivete Sangalo performing a medley of songs. The event will also witness samba display by Rio de Janeiro school pupils.

It will take place at the Estadio do Maracana at 10:50pm IST on Sunday (2:20 p.m. BRT / 01:20 p.m. EDT / 6:20 p.m. BST) ahead of the final between Argentina and Germany. 

VIDEO: Shakira - La La La (Brazil 2014) ft. Carlinhos Brown