28
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 16 2016 SUNDAY TELEGRAPH
Sportxtr
Top 15 hottest WAGS of wealth
Federica Ridolfi (Giuliano Giannichedda)
Irina Shayk (Cristiano Ronaldo)
O
ften, while watching televised football matches, the camera switches focus from the players on the field to the fans in the stands, the celebrity and VIP spectators. One further favourite of the searching cameraman are the wives and girlfriends of players. Wives and girlfriends (WAGs) of players attract so much attention because they are often models or actresses themselves. Their relationships provide the tabloids with a lot of material, usually scandalous in nature. Pictures of intimate moments, stories of cheating, rumors of pregnancy or announcements of marriage all draw the WAGs into the sporting world. In the world of soccer, the WAGs can command as much attention as the players. World Cup coverage often has a segment or special on WAGs, the weekly tabloid news always seems to include a story about one or two, mainly because so many are swimsuit models. Yes, the soccer WAGs have secured a noticeable part in today’s soccer culture. The following list beams the spotlight on some of the hottest and popular WAGs today. There are far more. In any event, here they are, in no particular order. Irina Shayk (Cristiano Ronaldo – Real Madrid) Cristiano Ronaldo’s current girlfriend is Russian model Irina Shayk. She is best known as a long time Sports Illustrated swimsuit model, although she featured in several other magazines as well. Other modeling jobs have included Guess, Victoria’s Secret, LaCoste and Cesare Paciotti. Shayk allegedly met Ronaldo when both were working for the Armani Exchange Campaign in 2010. Since then, the two have been together. Yolanthe Cabau van Kasbergen (Wesley Sneijder – Galatasaray) Born in Ibiza, Spain, Yolante became well known in Holland thanks to her appearances in national television and film. Internationally, she is involved in the Stop Kindermisbruik foundation. This organisation, which the 29-year old co-founded, works to help reduce or prevent child sexual abuse in developing countries. Yolanthe was named the sexi-
Abigail Clancy (Peter Crouch)
Elisabeth Reyes (Alexis Ruano)
est Dutch Woman by FHM magazine three times. The two got married in 2010. Sarah Brandner (Bastian Schweinsteiger – Manchester United) Brandner became a well-known WAG when pictures of her watching the German national team and boyfriend, Bastian Schweinsteiger, were published during both the World Cup 2010 and Euro 2012 competitions. Born in Munich Germany, the 25 year old model has done work for Bild and GQ magazine, as well as a rather revealing body-paint shoot with Sports Illustrated in 2010. She first met Schweinsteiger while shopping in Munich. The two have been together since 2007 and currently live in Munich. Federica Ridolfi (Giuliano Giannichedda – Livorno) Born in Rome, Federica followed in her father’s footsteps to become a performer and entertainer. For the 2005-2006 season, the 40-year old beauty starred on the Italian entertainment show Quelli che… il calcio; a programme that covered a variety of topics, notably Serie A football. Over her career, Federica has been involved in several Italian television programmes and featured in a number of men’s magazines, including Max Magazine. In 2011, she married retired footballer Giuliano Giannichedda, who last played as a midfielder for Serie A side Livorno. Shakira (Gerard Piqué – Barcelona) Born in Barranquilla, Columbia, Shakira quickly gained a love of poetry, song and dance. Her world-wide fame skyrocketed with a series of popular albums and hit songs such as ‘Waka Waka’ and ‘Hips Don’t Lie.’ She has performed or worked with many other artists including Usher, LMFAO, Skrillex, Stevie Wonder and Lil Wayne. Not limited to music, the 37-year-old Columbian performer has also appeared on numerous television shows and is a judge on the talent programme ‘The Voice.’ In 2010, Shakira met Barcelona defender Gerard Piqué during the shoot for the music video for ‘Waka Waka.’ The couple has one child together and currently re-
Sarah Brandner (Bastian Schweinsteiger)
sides in Barcelona. Abigail Clancy (Peter Crouch – Stoke City) You can be tall, lanky and awkward and still get a lingerie model. Just ask Stoke City forward, Peter Crouch. Abigail Clancy was born in Liverpool and gained popularity as a model and television personality. She even had her own girl band for a while. Clancy has appeared in Sports Illustrated, Esquire and LOVE magazines. The 28-year-old has appeared on numerous television programmes and even won the 2013 reality show Strictly Come Dancing. Over the years, Clancy has been ranked on FHM’s Sexiest Women’s list. She started dating Crouch in 2006 and the couple got married in 2011. Tatjana Batinic (Sebastian Boenisch – TSV 1860 Munich) The daughter of Croatian immigrants, Tatjana Batinic was born in Vienna, Austria. The 28-year-old is best known for winning the title of 2006 Miss Austria. She went to school to become an elementary school teacher but currently focuses on her modeling career. In 2009, after breaking up with Croatian footballer Ivan Rakitic, Batinic met Polish-born footballer Sebastian Boenisch. At the time, a defender for Bundesliga side Werder Bremen, Boenisch has since moved to Bayer Leverkusen. The two were married in 2013. Elisabeth Reyes (Alexis Ruano – Getafe) Born in Spain, Elisabeth Reyes is a model and television personality. In 2006, she won both the Miss Malaga and Miss Spain beauty pageants. She has modeled for a number of designers and companies as well as appeared in Spanish magazines and the German fashion magazine Gala. Reyes has appeared on several Spanish television shows and reality programmes. As a WAG, she gained notoriety for her relationship with real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos. When the two parted ways, Reyes moved on to Getafe defender Alexis Ruano. Michela Quattrociocche (Alberto Aquilani – Delfino Pescara 1936)
Michela Qu known for he moved from m 2008. She has shows, althou of Italy have s in 2009 when Aquilani. The
Georgina Dors Everton FC h of WAGs over members of t star in Englan show The On or Jersey Shor given she and had a daught
Federica Narg Born in Rom vision person winner, Nargi shows. She h Italy. The Bru for her role on she appeared has been in a Matri. After M loaned out to
Lena Gercke ( Germany’s T personality an model, Gerck magazines lik She has been range of busi footballing w