The Footballer Wives And Girlfriends The phrase wasn’t a new one, having been kicked around for at least a few years . Technically, the term is pretty self-explanatory, but practically it is a loaded phrase. If conjures visions of a woman who is a particular sort of predator and whose sole purpose in life is to bag a rich footballer and live to excess off the back of his income. Stereotypical characteristics of a WAG include notably fake tans, extraordinarily large sunglasses, expensive boutique fashion, and a compulsion to live life in the public eye. Following Top 10 Footballers’ Wives And Girlfriends includes current and former girlfriends :
1. Abigail Clancy
Significant Other: girlfriend of Peter Crouch (Portsmouth)
Crouch is possibly the missing link between men and horses, but at least he’s self-aware of it. When someone once asked him what he would be if he wasn’t a footballer, Crouch replied, “A virgin!” Even with all his money, how he got Clancy I’ll never know. I could look at her all day and never get bored. Yeah, she’s high maintenance. And of course, she has a cocaine habit to fund. But the lingerie and catwalk model is simply stunning.
2. Cheryl Cole (née Tweedy)
Significant Other: married to Ashley Cole (Chelsea)
The British pop singer can be seen in the all-girl band, Girls Aloud, and as a judge on the reality show, The X Factor. She is married to the Chelsea and England football player Ashley Cole, who seems to be a complete tool. In addition to earning the nickname Cashley, he’s been caught cheating on Cheryl with various bar hags and earned himself a drunk and disorderly arrest. Not that Cheryl is a paragon of virtue. She was once found guilty of assault occasioning actual bodily harm against a nightclub toilet attendant, Sophie Amogbokpa. But at least she tries to do good. Like Melanie Slade, she climbed Mount Kilimanjaro for charity.
3. Federica Ridolfi
Significant Other: engaged to Giuliano Giannichedda (Livorno)
Ridolfi has a nasty habit of covering up her chest just as the photographer is getting the shot. But at least she can still claim the standard Italian WAG occupations of dancer, television hostess, showgirl, and model. Included in that body of work is the show Quelli che… il calcio, which is a live sport, comedy, and music TV show that announces goals in real time from Italian soccer. She also continues the WAG tradition of wearing exceptionally small clothing and posing in provocative ways.
4. Sylvie Françoise van der Vaart
Significant Other: wife of Rafael van der Vaart (Real Madrid)
Sylvie Meis had decided by her 18th birthday that she wanted to be a model. It was a smart move. In 2003, after being elected Holland’s Sexiest Female, she started a relationship with then-Ajax soccer player Rafael van der Vaart. The rest as they say, is history. Now known as Mrs. van der Vaart, Sylvie has turned her attention to television hosting, including doing the honors at the 2008 FIFA World Player of the Year ceremony. Whatever she does, she looks great in. Even former Hamburg manager Huub Stevens would agree. In his autobiography he revealed that van der Vaart once deliberately got booked so he could go and party with his lovely lady. I can understand.
5. Gemma Atkinson
Significant Other: ex-fiancée of Marcus Brent (Birmingham City)
Atkinson always seems to be involved with one footballer or another. Just give it some time, and she’s bound to be dating some athlete again. She’s been linked in the past to the infamous Cristiano Ronaldo, Newcastle’s Alan Smith, and was once engaged to Marcus Bent. As an English lady you might guess she got her start on the soap Hollyoaks, and you’d be right. Atkinson rose to fame playing Lisa Hunter on the Channel 4 teenage soap.
6. Alena Šeredová
Significant Other: married to Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus)
She may work in Italy, but this model is Czech-born. Hence the Miss Czech Republic title in 1998, which led to a fourth place finish at Miss World. She’s done plenty of classy modeling work, you know for stuff like Penthouse Europe and Playboy Europe. I guess she is a good old fashioned Italian girl after all. This was reinforced when she married Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon. She even has a connection to Christian Vieri, she co-owns the Italian clothing-line Baci e Abbracci with him.
7. Ilary Blasi
Significant Other: married to Francesco Totti (A.S. Roma)
The better half of Francesco Totti, she started her career at the age of three in a TV commercial. She followed that up with a number of television and movie appearances, before gradually moving over to modeling. Like any good Italian girl, she has showed no aversion to being photographed in the nearly-nude. Once the Miss changed to Mrs., however, she exited the modeling word for more honest work like hosting Italia 1’s hit show Le Iene with Luca Bizzarri and Paolo Kessisoglu.
8. Lorena Bernal
Significant Other: dating Mikel Arteta (Everton)
Bernal was born in Argentina, but moved to Spain as a child. Argentina’s loss is Spain’s gain, as she was crowned Miss Spain in 1999. She mainly models, but also dabbles in television work. And that includes stuff you’ve actually heard of, like guest spots on Chuck and CSI: Miami.
9. Bianca Kajlich
Significant Other: married to Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy)
There have been a lot of WAGs on this list, but you might have noticed the dual absensce of American soccer players and American women. Here’s an exception. Kajlich is an American actress with Italian and Slovak heritage. She can currently be seen on the CBS comedy Rules Of Engagement (assuming people actually watch that show), but has had plenty of supporting roles in movies and television.
10. Michelle Marsh
Significant Other: married to Will Haining (St. Mirren)
If you’re breathing and have ever searched the Internet for women, odds are you’ve come across Mrs. Marsh. The Page Three girl had appeared in numerous men’s magazines, ranging from Maxim to Zoo to Playboy. She’s also formed a successful modeling partnership with fellow busty Brit Lucy Pinder. Their photoshoots often make it seem like they’re more than just friends. In addition to being naked in front of a camera, Marsh has done the usual reality television, plus she released a single titled “I Don’t Do”.
