WAGs of the World Cup
The best players in the football universe will begin the battle for the sport's ultimate prize on Friday — the World Cup. But while the World Cup will see the most talented football stars on the planet go head to head, it will also be the home of the glamorous wives and girlfriends.
Here is a selection of some of the WAGS heading to Brazil.
Irina Shayk
(Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal)
It takes quite something to draw the attention away from Ronaldo but Russian model Irina Shayk, arguably the most famous of the WAGs in Brazil during the tournament, manages to do just that.
The power couple, who have been dating since 2010, recently posed in a racy photoshoot for Spanish Vogue by famous photographer Mario Testino.
Shayk shot to fame after starring in the video for Kanye West’s hit Power back in 2010.
Shakira
(Gerard Pique, Spain)
The pair met while filming the video for Shakira’s 2010 World Cup song,
Waka Waka, and began dating soon after that tournament, which was won by the Barcelona centre-back and his Spanish teammates.
Their family trophy cabinet must be a sight to behold, with the Colombian singer having sold more than 70 million albums worldwide and winning a host of international awards, while Pique has won European Championships and a World Cup with Spain and triumphed three times in the Champions League. Despite the reception to Waka
Waka, Pique has starred in the video for Shakira’s offering for the Brazil World Cup, the imaginatively named
La, La, La.
Yolanthe Sneijder-Cabau
(Wesley Sneijder, Netherlands)
A daughter of a wealthy entrepreneur known as the King of Ibiza, Yolanthe starred in the Dutch drama comedy
Voetbalvrouwen – think real-life Footballers’ Wives. Just days after Sneijder was on the losing side with Netherlands in the final of the 2010 World, Yolanthe, fresh from being crowned Dutch FHM’s Sexiest Dutch Woman for the third time in four years, and he got married in Tuscany. Yolanthe is co-founder and ambassador of Stop Kindermisbruik, a foundation which fights against child sex abuse in developing countries around the world.
Bruna Marquezine
(Neymar, Brazil)
Despite a patchy end to the domestic season, which saw Neymar split up with soap star girlfriend Bruna Marquezine and fail to hold down a starting place in Barcelona’s first team, the Brazil star appears to be getting things back on track both on and off the pitch. Reports that Neymar had started dating 20-year-old model Gabriella Lenzi seemed off the mark, after Marquezine was spotted with the forward earlier this week.
Antonella Roccuzzo
(Lionel Messi, Argentina)
The three-time Ballon d’Or winner met Antonella before he achieved global fame with a ball at his feet, having grown up together in the Argentine town of Rosario. They started dating in 2008 and in 2012 had their first child together, whom they named Thiago. In enemy territory this summer, Antonella will be doing her best to keep Messi calm and relaxed as Argentina aim to win their first World Cup trophy since 1986.
Sara Carbonero
(Iker Casillas, Spain)
Once voted the world’s sexiest journalist, Carbonero will provide Spain’s captain with a decent distraction, should he have little to do as the champions dominate possession in Brazil. At the last World Cup the 29-year-old beauty was accused of disrupting Casillas in Spain’s surprise 1-0 defeat to Switzerland after filming around the goalmouth. It didn’t seem to affect him too much, though, and the Real Madrid keeper greeted his wife with a kiss in their postmatch interview after their win in the final.
Sarah Brandner (Bastian Schweinsteiger, Germany)
German model Sarah Brandner first coupled up with Bayern Munich midfielder Schweinsteiger on a holiday to party island Ibiza. The 1.8m blonde is often seen cheering on her boyfriend at matches for club and country — and will inevitably draw the camera’s eye in the stands in Brazil. She admitted in an interview with GQ that her appearances at the European Championships two years ago led to ‘‘hordes of men’’ chasing her.
Daniella Semaan
(Cesc Fabregas, Spain)
Thirteen years older than Fabregas, Daniella left millionaire husband Elie Taktouk in 2011 after he opened his newspaper in June 2011 to see pictures of her kissing the Spain international. Last year she gave birth to a daughter, Lia, while Fabregas was playing for Barcelona in the Champions League against Paris Saint-Germain. Daniella, a regular in gossip magazines, is known to her friends as Queen DD because of her expansive cleavage.
Evangelina Anderson
(Martin Demichelis, Argentina)
Argentine model Anderson stands at just a tiny 1.4m compared to her 1.82m boyfriend. The 30-year-old got a much better reception on the pitch at City’s victory party than Demichelis in his early days before he turned the fans around. And Anderson will be hoping she again proves a lucky charm as Argentina look to ruin the party in the Maracana at the final next month.
Pilar Rubio
(Sergio Ramos, Spain)
Rubio is a familiar face in Spain because of her work as a television presenter — but she keeps a low profile in her relationship with Champions Leaguewinner Ramos. But Ramos did recently appear on her show, singing and playing guitar. Sadly, she could end up missing the World Cup in order to look after their new-born son, Sergio Junior.
Coleen Rooney
(Wayne Rooney, England)
Rooney married childhood sweetheart Coleen in 2008, a decade after they first met in Liverpool at the age of 12. She has profited from the England striker’s fame by writing a gossip column, releasing her own fitness DVD and becoming the face of Asda’s George at Asda campaign. Coleen and their children Klay, 1, and Kai, 5, will be in Brazil as England try to end 48 years of hurt. — Daily Mail