English WAGs loyal, low profile
THE LIKES OF VICTORIA OR CHERYL HAD LIT UP BADEN-BADEN IN 2006
They were once happy to parade through the host cities of the World Cup, proudly displaying not only their loyalty to the team but also their own unique charms.
Who can forget the sight of Victoria Beckham, Coleen McLoughlin and Cheryl Cole as they lit up the streets of Baden-Baden with their blend of glamour and girl-next-door appeal on impromptu shopping trips in front of the press during Germany 2006.
But today’s generation of WAGs -appear to be far more shy and retiring. So much so that the FA has retained the services of Farrer & Co, the Queen’s solicitors, to safeguard the privacy of the wives and girlfriends of England’s 2018 World Cup squad.
Speaking through its esteemed lawyers, the FA asked that the press respect the privacy of the players, their families and friends. With intense focus on the on-pitch fortunes of the players, a number of their partners are understood to have expressed concern at the prospect of finding themselves the subject of attention over the coming weeks.
It comes despite Rebekah Vardy, the wife of England striker Jamie, giving interviews and explaining on social media why she is taking the couple’s children out of school to travel to Russia to support him.
She said: “I’m going initially for 12 straight days, so we’re taking the kids out of school, and I’ve got the school’s blessing to do so. I don’t have to go, but I couldn’t not go. I want to be there to support my husband.”
In response to some criticism of her decision, Mrs Vardy, who has appeared on I’m A Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here, added: “My kids have the opportunity of experiencing something amazing! It’s not a holiday on the beach. Also a tutor and homework! So in reality I’m homeschooling for 12 days ... problem with that?”
A number of the other WAGs also frequently appear on social media, with the likes of Megan Davison, the girlfriend of goalkeeper Jordan Pickford; defender Phil Jones’s wife Kaya and Dele Alli’s 23-year-old girlfriend Ruby Mae, a model, posting photograph of themselves along with comments about their daily lives.
Out of sight
Many of the team’s partners appear to have stayed away from Russia, perhaps daunted not only by the huge -distances involved in travelling to -England’s matches, but also the poor state of relations between Vladimir -Putin’s regime and the West.
Kaya and Phil Jones were apart for their wedding anniversary on Saturday, with Mrs Jones, who gave birth to a baby daughter last month, posting a plane emoji and heart on Twitter, saying “sending all our love to you”.
Ms Davison posted a picture of herself on Instagram in a whitespotted dress on a balcony in Vilamoura, Portugal, as her boyfriend prepared for England’s opening match against Tunisia in Volgograd tomorrow.
Several of the players’ partners prefer to remain out of sight, just as many of the squad have yet to become household names like David Beckham and Wayne Rooney were.
Rebecca Burnett — the 27-year-old wife of Jordan Henderson, shies away from media attention, as do John Stones’s girlfriend Millie Savage and Fabian Delph’s wife Natalie.