The Weeknd Splashes $9 Million Of His Own Money On Super Bowl Halftime Show

The Kansas City Chiefs are taking on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl 55 in what's being described one of most exciting climaxes we've ever seen to an NFL season.

But while football fanatics are fixated on the fascinating match-up between the two star quarterbacks, others are more focused on another megastar set to take the field - a bloke that won't be taking a single snap during the game itself.

Abel Tesfaye, AKA The Weeknd, has reportedly forked out around AU$9million of his own hard-earned cash to ensure his Super Bowl halftime show will be one to remember.

And if past halftime shows are anything to go by, you can see why he has gone out of his way to get his hand in his pocket.

Some of the most iconic musicians have sung under the bright lights of the Super Bowl throughout the years.

But it was Jennifer Lopez and Shakira who made headlines during last year's event for their legendary performance for the ages.

The duo well and truly set the benchmark for halftime shows and now it's Grammy Award-winner The Weeknd's turn to try his hand at keeping millions of sports tragics entertained.

And despite major sponsors and the NFL normally footing the bill, it has been confirmed that the Canadian music sensation has chipped in another $9million of his own money to "make this halftime show be what he envisioned."

It's also understood the performance could last for round 24 minutes in total and won't necessarily take place in the centre of the field like it usually does.

"Due to COVID and for the safety of the players and the workers, we built the stage within the stadium," he said.

"I'm not going to tell you anything else because you'll have to watch on Sunday."

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Bookies have already released odds on what The Weeknd will do during his performance - and some of the markets are rather extreme.

Last month, he revealed a brand new appearance to coincide with the release of his album After Hours.

The look included white face bandages which, one removed, unveiled cosmetic bruising and huge swelling to his entire face.

The botched 'surgery' left many of his fans questing his motives but it wasn't long before the man himself came out and shed some light on the matter.

"The significance of the entire head bandages is reflecting on the absurd culture of Hollywood celebrity and people manipulating themselves for superficial reasons to please and be validated," he told Variety.

There has been plenty of talk about the battle between six-time champion Tom Brady and generational talent Patrick Mahomes, but it appears most of the pregame headlines have been written about The Weeknd.

And if he really has splashed $9million of his own cash, you can only begin to imagine what the show will be like.

Topics: Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Australia, super bowl

Max Sherry

Max Sherry is a journalist for SPORTbible Australia. After migrating Down Under from London as a teenager, he instantly fell in love with Aussie sport and its culture. From NRL to AFL, cricket to rugby — you name it, Max watches it (with a beer in hand, of course). During his time at Fox Sports, he worked in the football department covering the Premier League, A-League, Socceroos and Matildas. Born a stone's throw away from West Ham's training ground, Max is obviously a die-hard Liverpool fan.

@maxysherry