World Cup soccer wives, gal pals were first WAGs 20 years ago: 5 to watch for in KC
It’s been 20 years now that the women partners of professional athletes — their wives and girlfriends — have been known as WAGs. You can thank those cheeky British tabloids for coining the phrase around the time of the 2006 World Cup.
Former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham is known as the OG. She married soccer legend David Beckham in 1999 and became one half of a media couple nicknamed “Posh and Becks.”
During the 2006 World Cup, UK tabloids turned their paparazzi attention to Posh Spice and two other British footballer wives — singer Cheryl Cole and TV presenter Coleen Rooney.
The WAG label stuck, creating a new group of sports-adjacent personalities, some of whom today command as much (or more) media attention as their athlete partners.
With at least seven countries playing matches in Kansas City between now and mid-July, fans in Kansas City might catch a glimpse of some of the sport’s more high-profile WAGs.
The WAGs of Tunisia and Curacao, two teams playing here, tend keep a low profile. But the models, entrepreneurs, reality TV show stars and social media influencers who might show up to watch their partners play in Kansas City are anything but low-key.
Here are five to watch for.
Tini Stoessel, Argentina
Argentinian actress, singer and model Tini Stoessel became famous as an international Disney star when she played Violetta Castillo in the Disney Channel Latin America musical series “Violetta.” She is currently dating Argentina’s Rodrigo De Paul, who plays for Inter Miami CF in Major League Soccer
More than 21 million people follow her on Instagram.
During one of her concerts in March, she reportedly confirmed that she and the footballer are getting married.
Antonela Roccuzzo, Argentina
Model and digital creator Antonela Roccuzzo has been married to her childhood sweetheart, soccer star Lionel Messi, since 2017 when they wed in their hometown of Rosario, Argentina. Both are 38.
They have three children and live in Miami where he plays for Inter Miami. He is captain of Argentina’s World Cup team.
With 39 million Instagram followers and the power to command hundreds of thousands of dollars per post, Roccuzzo is recognized as one of the two most influential WAGs in the soccer world, along with Georgina Rodríguez, the long-time partner of Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo.
Taylor Ward, Algeria
Considered the most famous of the Algerian WAGs, Taylor Ward, 28, is married to team captain Riyad Mahrez and comes from a soccer family.
The model’s father, Ashley Ward, played for Manchester City. Her mother, British interior designer Dawn Ward, starred on the reality TV show, “The Real Housewives of Cheshire.”
The couple married in glamorous Lake Como, Italy, in 2024 and have two children. They split their lives between Saudi Arabia, where he plays for Al-Ahli, and their UK home.
She has 3 million followers on Instagram (@taylorwardx).
Mikky Kiemeney, Netherlands
The businesswoman and social media influencer is married to FC Barcelona footballer Frenkie de Jong, considered the main playmaker for the Netherlands national team. They met in high school.
He proposed to her in July 2022 while they were vacationing at Zion National Park in Utah and got married two years later.
She made her own name in the sports world as a Dutch field hockey player. Now she has her own clothing brand and jewelry line. She has 1.7 million followers on Instagram. They have two sons.
Ella Buffin, Netherlands
New couple alert. The news that this British model was dating Micky van de Ven, star of Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and a member of the Dutch national team, just came to light earlier this month.
She posted photos of their romantic vacation on Instagram, then told fans that she would cheer for the Netherlands in the tournament.
Katja Kuhne, Austria
The Ukrainian-born model and TV personality, who moved to Germany in her teen years to study, became famous in 2014 when she won the German version of “The Bachelor.”
She is married to Austrian midfielder Marcel Sabitzer, who is nine years younger. They became parents to a daughter in 2019, got engaged the next year in the Maldives and married at Lake Como last July.
.jpg)