Anthony will perform at Wembley Arena in front of judges Simon Cowell, Robbie Williams, Ayda Field and Louis Tomlinson as he and his fellow finalists prepare to find out who will be crowned the winner on Sunday.
And fellow Liverpudlians Wayne and Coleen stopped by to pay Antony a visit and pose for a photo.
Sharing a picture of the trio online, Coleen wrote: “Good luck to @antrussellmusic tonight on @thexfactor final!”
Footballer Wayne played for team Everton in Liverpool between 2002 and 2004 and 2017 and 2018.
And aspiring pop star Anthony shared a snapshot from a recent episode of The X Factor in which he can be seen sitting in a changing room with Everton’s home shirts hanging on the wall behind him.
Writing on Instagram on his behalf, a pal posted: “Who’s ready to watch our boy smash X Factor final weekend!! Let’s all get behind him and make his dreams come true!”
The 33-year-old football star looked beyond excited to breathe the same air as other X Factor stars, One Direction star Louis Tomlinson and X Factor hopefuls Brendan Murray and Anthony.
Wayne – who retired from international football in 2017 – took a moment for a meet and greet with the reality stars earlier in the week.
“Great to catch up with @Louis_Tomlinson and his @TheXFactor contestants at the @England game on Thursday,” Rooney gushed via Twitter on Saturday.
“Good luck tonight to @brendan_m96 and Liverpool lad @AntArtist89,” he added – throwing his support behind the boys who are currently competing on the fifteenth series of the long-running singing contest.
Anthony, 27, is a particular fan of Rooney – according to all sources.
“Anthony was absolutely thrilled to meet his idol. Wayne is an Everton legend so for Anthony it was an absolute dream come true!” a source revealed after the lads met.
Indeed, meeting Wayne and accompanying Louis and Brendan to the game was a life highlight for Anthony.
“This is what @Louis_Tomlinson and #TeamLT is about man thank u @TheXFactor,” the Liverpudlian star wrote on Twitter.
“Me and the Irish champ @brendan_m96 @Louis_Tomlinson killed it tonight boys night out at wembo man @WayneRooney well done r kid legend,” he added.
And 22-year-old Irish dreamboat Brendan appeared to enjoy watching the England game too – sharing photos from the match with the captions: “ROOOONEEYY” and “Footy”.
An X Factor source offered further insight into this incredible meeting of minds and talent.
“England football legend Wayne Rooney hung out with global pop superstar and X Factor judge Louis T after England’s 3-0 win on Thursday night,” they explained.
“Wayne, who made his 120th and final appearance for England during the win at Wembley, met up with Louis and two of the lads from his X Factor Boys’ category Brendan Murray and Wayne’s fellow Liverpudlian Anthony Russell,” the source continued.
“It was particularly thrilling for Anthony because he is an Everton fan and Wayne started his career at Everton and is a life-long Everton fan – despite playing the majority of his career for Manchester
United. Louis, meanwhile, is renowned for being a fan of League 1 club Doncaster Rovers,” they added.
Will the backing of Wayne Rooney prove to be a blessing, or a curse?
Anthony and Brendan must fight for survival on Saturday night as The X Factor reaches the pivotal quarter-final stage.
Tune in to catch the action, drama, gasps and high-notes on ITV tonight from 8:10pm and find out if the boys advance to the next round of the seemingly unkillable reality show competition.
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