Teenager steals Super Bowl halftime show from Justin Timberlake

'I just thought to myself: I’ll never get this opportunity again in my whole life,' says Ryan McKenna

Justin Timberlake may have been the headline act at the Superbowl half-time show, but all eyes were on a 13-year-old boy.

Ryan McKenna, from Hingham, Massachusetts, attracted attention for awkwardly dancing and playing with his phone next to the Grammy award-winning singer.

Many social media users speculated the 13-year-old did not know who the 37-year-old singer was.

Others said the teenager appeared unable to detach himself from the digital world.

After the show, the teenager told St Paul Pioneer Press he was filming the performance on his phone, but raced to take a photo when he saw the pop star walk towards him.

“I just thought to myself: ‘I’ll never get this opportunity again in my whole life,'” Ryan said. “I just went for it.”

The 13-year old's father, John McKenna, said his son's phone started "blowing up" after the performance.

Meanwhile, Timberlake’s show, which saw him perform a medley of some of his biggest hits, was not so well received.

The singer's vocals appeared to be muted at times, or else drowned out by the hefty backing track on “Filthy”.

A giant screen showing footage of the late Prince behind Timberlake on the piano also caused outrage.

Although it was intended to pay tribute to the legendary artist, many criticised Timberlake for the decision, since the two artists had traded several insults over the years.