The England football team may not have walked away with a World Cup trophy back in 2006, but the team’s glamorous WAGs certainly won our hearts when they hit the stands to cheer on their other halves.
While players such as Wayne Rooney, Ashley Cole and Steven Gerrard fought in vain to try and earn their spot in the next stage of the competition, it was their wives and girlfriends that captured the hearts of the nation as they cut a glamorous figure in Germany, the host country of the 2006 tournament.
From covetable outfits to Hollywood-esque hairstyles, the likes of Cheryl Tweedy (then Cole), Abbey Clancy, Coleen Rooney and Victoria Beckham all made their mark on the tournament as they were frequently pictured strung in the picturesque town of Baden-Baden while the Cup was underway.
Many fans were loving the sightings, with plenty at home even keen to try and recreate some of the looks themselves.
However while the ladies were enjoying their time in Germany, the then manager of the England team, Sven-Göran Ericsson was left less than impressed as he felt they were drawing attention away from the players and the hard fought game they were trying to win.
Nowadays, the WAGs are less prominent at the World Cup for this very reason, with the current iteration, such as Fern Maguire, Megan Pickford and Amie Coady even being banned from stayed near their beaus during the competition.
With England continuing to advance in this year’s 2022 Qatar World Cup, we take a look back at where the original WAGs are now.
Coleen Rooney
Aged just 20 years old at the time of the 2006 World Cup, Liverpool born Coleen was initially cruelly labelled a “chav” when she made her WAG debut alongside the other wives and girlfriends.
It was also reported at the time, that the wife of Wayne Rooney had splurged on a one hour shopping spree, with the WAG wracking up a bill to the tune of around £57,000 – something she later refuted as she claimed she was just picking up a few “bits and pieces.”
The 2006 cup also coincided with a cheating scandal for the couple, after it was revealed that Wayne had been sleeping with prostitutes for two years.
After Wayne admitted he “deeply regrets” his actions, the couple managed to work through the rough patch before going on to share three children together.
Most recently, Coleen once again hit the headlines in 2022 as she faced off against fellow WAG Rebekah Vardy in a high profile libel case, colloquially dubbed as the Wagatha Christie trial.
The case reached the High Court earlier this Summer, after Coleen publicly accused Rebekah’s Instagram account of leaking private stories in the press.
In order to find the source of the suspected leaks, the mum-of-three explained she had created a string of false stories that only Rebekah was able to see, with the stories then going on to be leaked.
Rebekah denied the claims and sued Coleen for libel, however when the case was taken to the High Court, judge Mrs Justice Steyn stated that Coleen's accusations were "substantially true”.
Elen Rivas
Another famous face that dominated the headlines was Elen Rivas, the former girlfriend of Chelsea ace and now Everton manager, Frank Lampard.
One of the longest serving WAGs, the Spanish model first began dating Frank in 2002, with the couple welcoming their first daughter together just three years later.
Well known for her fashionable looks, it wasn’t just her sartorial statements that drew attention from fans, with Elen even being spotted belting out Gloria Gaynor's hit single, I Will Survive atop a bar table, much to the shock of many onlookers.
While the performance was a charmingly quirky anecdote for many, it came just days after she was believed to have been involved in an angry airport clash, after she was prohibited from carrying six items of carry-on luggage onto the aircraft.
Following the World Cup, Elen and Frank went on to have another daughter together, before finally splitting in 2009.
Nowadays, the former WAG prefers to live her life away from the spotlight, but does occasionally share an insight into her luxury life on Instagram, which is still followed by close pal Coleen Rooney.
Cheryl Tweedy
Best known for the music career as part of pop sensation Girls Aloud, Cheryl was a superstar in her own right long before she fell head over heels for footballer Ashely Cole.
The couple first met back in 2004, with the pair happily engaged by the time they attended the World Cup itself in 2006.
During her time as a WAG, Cheryl even struck up a strong friendship with fashion superstar and former Spice Girl, Victoria Beckham, with the pair frequently seen sitting together and chatting at the high profile matches.
For a time, Cheryl appeared to have it all – A thriving career, a healthy bank balance, a dreamy beau and even a celebrity bestie! Yet all that soon came crashing down, after rumours of Ashley’s infidelity emerged.
Cheryl’s picture perfect romance took a drastic turn after it emerged Ashley had had a fling with a hairdresser.
Yet to pour even more salt on the wound, Cheryl was left feeling stunned when fellow WAG Victoria failed to get in touch with her following the revelations.
Despite the cheating claims, Cheryl and Ashley did work through their issues to tie the knot in 2006, but ultimately the relationship fell apart after further cheating allegations came to light, with the couple officially parting ways in 2010.
Following the split, she later went on to marry French businessman Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini after dating for just three months. The couple however, officially divorced in 2016 – two years after saying "I do”.
Cheryl also went on to date former One Direction star Liam Payne for two years between 2016 and 2018, with the couple sharing one child together, a son called Bear Grey Payne.
These days, Cheryl has swapped her glamorous showbiz lifestyle to be a stay-at-home mum while also working behind the scenes with health brand Feels.
She is currently believed to be single.
Victoria Beckham
Often regarded as the undisputed Queen of all WAGSs, the former Posh Spice was very much the “It Girl” of the moment when she stepped out at the 2006 World Cup to support her beau, David Beckham.
Decked out in everything from fake boobs to fake tan and hair extensions, Victoria epitomised the aesthetic that would dominate the look of the WAGs for much of the 00’s, with many fans at home hoping to emulate her glamorous look.
Yet looking so stylish was evidently not for the faint hearted, with the star even rumoured to have splashed out on 60 pairs of sunglasses and an eye-watering 30 pairs of jeans just for her short stay in Baden-Baden.
Looking back at her appearance at the time, the former Spice Girl even admitted in 2013, that it wasn’t a good look for her.
She said: "I don't wear fake tan anymore. Sometimes I've been turned orange but that's definitely a look from my past. Being overly tanned is very ageing and, dare I say it, a bit footballer's wife.”
At the time of the tournament, her husband David was the captain of the England team, with the player continuing to feature on many international games up until his eventual retirement in 2013.
One year after the competition, Victoria and her former Spice Girls bandmates reunited to embark on a world tour, however she vowed to hang up her performance boots permanently when the band reformed officially in 2019 to continue focusing on other interests.
Nowadays, Victoria is better known for her career as a fashion designer, with many of her chic and timeless designs being donned by the likes of Meghan Markle and Anne Hathaway to name but a few.
She also continues to be a doting mother to the four children she shares with David.
Abbey Clancy
Scouse model Abbey Clancy was still very new to the role of a WAG when she attended the World Cup to support her then boyfriend Peter Crouch.
Jetting off to Baden-Baden, the star had been eagerly awaiting her chance to cheer on her beau.
A short time later, the couple officially parted ways, with Peter even releasing a statement about the split to fans.
He said: "Whilst I do not ordinarily comment upon matters relating to my private life, I have read with dismay various recent articles and reports about my 'relationship' with Abbey Clancy.
"In light of this, I wish to make the situation absolutely clear: Abbey and I were in the very early stages of a relationship which, for a number of reasons, I decided a few weeks ago to end, and I accordingly informed Abi of my decision.”
However, the separation was short-lived, with the couple reconciling a short time later, before going on to tie the knot in 2011.
Four children later, the couple continue to go from strength to strength, with Abbey even having become a firm fan favourite and celebrity in her own right as she appeared as a judge on Britain's Next Top Model and even went on to win Strictly Come Dancing, after dancing her way to victory in 2013.
Alex Curran
Another of the top WAGs at the World Cup was Alex Curran, the then fiancée of Steven Gerrard.
Famed for her golden hair and expensive highlights, the former nail technician was rumoured to have racked up a tab of £25,000 during her stay at the tournament, with 60 bottles of pink Champagne even included in the tab.
Alex and Steven went on to marry in an extravagant ceremony held at the Cliveden House Hotel in Buckinghamshire just one year later, the with the couple even going on to have four children together.
Since then, the couple continue to live a happy and idyllic family life together, with Alex even releasing her very own fragrance line thanks to her popularity as a WAG.
However even despite her popularity, these days, her life is far more private, with the doting mum keen to stay out of the spotlight.
Dedicated fans however, can still catch a glimpse of her life from time to time on social media, with the star occasionally making appearances on husband Steven’s instagram feed.
READ NEXT:
-
Click here for today's top showbiz news
-
Heartbreak behind Marcus Rashford's celebration as he dedicates goals to late friend
-
David Beckham's luxury £20k-a-night Qatar hotel as he's forced to check out
-
Marcus Rashford's romance with childhood sweetheart including romantic proposal
-
Inside footballer Bukayo Saka’s romance with girlfriend Tolami Benson
- For all your exclusive celebrity gossip, sign up to OK!'s VIP newsletter – CLICK HERE
Source: Read Full Article