In the early noughties, Victoria Beckham, Abbey Clancy and Cheryl (née Cole) were once the epitome of what it meant to be a WAG - an acronym for the wives and girlfriends of famous footballers reportedly coined by staff at the Jumeirah Beach Club in Dubai. Synonymous with the winning combination of tiny shorts and giant sunglasses, the aforementioned stars would rock up in the weekly pages of tabloid papers after partying the nights away with their athlete beaus. But while their nights of painting the town red without a care in the world may be a far cry from the glamorous, polished women we see on Instagram today, their 'WAG' era remains an iconic piece of Y2K culture.
And just like their partygirl reputations, the word 'WAG' - which now has more negative connotations - has officially gone into retirement with many high-profile sports stars choosing to keep their love lives private. So, who is the new generation of wonderful women on the arms of The Three Lions? We have done all the digging of the current and past footballers, from Eberechi Eze's wife, whom he met at school, to Harry Kane's secret wedding.
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© InstagramEberechi Eze and Naima Corbin
Midfielder Eberechi Eze met his wife Naima Corbin while studying for their GCSEs at the John Roan School in Greenwich. They built a friendship at first, before their relationship turned romantic aged 18.
Eze proposed in a suite at The Shard’s five-star Shangri-La hotel in 2021, and they tied the knot one year later in their local church in front of just 13 family members. They went on to have a traditional Nigerian wedding and a larger celebration at Two Temple Place on The Strand, where Naima wore a stunning Vivienne Westwood gown.
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© WireImageBukayo Saka and Tolami Benson
Bukayo Saka is equally protective of his love life, keeping his relationship with University of Birmingham PR and media graduate Tolami Benson largely away from the spotlight.
The couple are thought to have started dating in 2020, but they went public with their romance at the 2024 Euros, where the glamorous WAG was pictured in a personalised motor jacket featuring Saka’s number, 87.
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© InstagramOllie Watkins and Ellie Alderson
Ollie Watkins and his partner Ellie Alderson have welcomed two children Amara and Marley since they started dating in 2018.
The interior design expert often posts family photos on Instagram. One from May included a gushing caption about how "proud" Ellie was of the footballer.
They went on to get engaged in Lake Como and legally got married in Marylebone before hosting a larger gathering in France in 2025.
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© WPA PoolKate Kane and Harry Kane
Harry Kane and his wife Kate tied the knot in June 2019 in an intimate wedding ceremony and managed to keep their big day a secret. One month later, they shared some gorgeous photos on Instagram showing off Kate's two elegant wedding dresses.
Kate's first was an elegant strapless gown from Ralph and Russo, with intricate beading on the top and a mermaid silhouette fit. Blue detailing was a sentimental addition to her dress, with the names of Harry and their two daughters embroidered into the inside of the train.
For the evening reception, Kate changed into her second dress and although she did not reveal the bottom, the V-neck bodice was full of soft floral embroidery.
Harry got down on one knee in July 2017 and popped the question to Kate during their family holiday in the Bahamas. They now share four kids: Ivy, Vivienne, Louis and Henry.
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© Peter Byrne - PA ImagesMegan Davison and Jordan Pickford
Jordan Lee Pickford celebrated his wedding with Megan Davison in 2022, two years after postponing their big day amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The couple got engaged back in 2018 and had their civil ceremony in 2020, where Megan wore a white blouse surrounded by celebratory balloons.
She took to Instagram on 18 May 2020 to share what would have been their wedding day in the Maldives but instead posted a throwback of their civil ceremony.
She wrote: "We're getting married in the morning. Well we should have been! It's all gone a bit Pete Tong, so here's a throwback of us on our legal registry office day since there are bigger things going on in the world right now. You are worth the wait my love @jpickford1."
They finally had their beachside wedding in 2022, with Megan wearing a stunning off-the-shoulder corset bridal gown and holding their son Arlo. The pair are also parents to daughter Ostara, who was born in 2023.
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© Jean CatuffeJordan Henderson and Rebecca Burnett
Although Rebecca Burnett largely keeps out of the spotlight, she married Jordan Henderson in 2014.
Rebecca often shows off her exquisite diamond engagement ring as she cheers on her husband.
The pair share daughters Alexa and Alba, and son Myles.
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Phil Foden and Rebecca Cooke
Phil Foden and his 22-year-old partner Rebecca Cooke are childhood sweethearts, having met at a party in Stockport as teenagers. The footballer was just 18 when they welcomed their eldest son Ronnie in January 2019, followed by a daughter named True in July 2021.
Manchester City midfielder Phil, who is expecting his third child with Rebecca, tends to keep his home life private, but he made a rare confession about the "life-changing" moment he became a father for the first time.
"I was there for the birth. I walked out of the room, gave it a little tear and then went back in like nothing happened. I’m not one for crying in front of people.
"I like to be on my own, but I was there in the room, watched it happen and it was a special moment. Your life changes," he told Manchester City.
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© Chris Brunskill/FantasistaKyle Walker and Annie Kilner
Kyle Walker's on-off relationship with his wife Annie Kilner has hit the headlines on several occasions. The pair's love story began in 2010 when they were teenagers, with Annie telling The Sun: "When we started going out it was love at first sight."
They briefly split in 2019, after Ex on the Beach star Laura Brown claimed he had been unfaithful with her. He then fathered a son named Kairo with Lauryn Goodman in 2020 before reconciling with Annie.
The couple – who are parents to Roman, 11, Riaan, seven, Reign, five, and two-month-old baby Rezon – got married in November 2021. Their relationship was rocked once again after Lauryn confirmed in January 2024 that Kyle was the father to her second child, whom she welcomed in 2023.
He opened up to the Sun on Sunday: "What I've done is horrible and I take full responsibility. I made idiot choices and idiot decisions. I can't begin to think or imagine what Annie is going through.
"I've tried to ask her but there’s pain and hurt. The man that’s meant to love, care and be there for her, did this." He continued: "When I met Annie at 17, I never envisaged my private life being like this. I never thought I would be a father of six." Annie and Kyle are thought to have rekindled their relationship.
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© Mike MarslandKieran Trippier and Charlotte Trippier
Charlotte Trippier is a more private WAG, but she occasionally shares photos with her husband Kieran Trippier and three kids, two sons and a daughter.
They got married on 6 June 2016 in Cyprus, with Charlotte wearing a gorgeous laced, long-sleeved wedding gown with floral embellishments outlining the V-neck bodice, as well as matching lace sleeves.
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© GettyFern Hawkins and Harry Maguire
Harry Maguire plays for the Premier League club Manchester United and the England national team and is engaged to his childhood sweetheart, Fern Hawkins. The couple also have two daughters together. The pair started dating in 2011 and got engaged in February 2018 in Paris.
Posted to Instagram, Fern wrote: "On Saturday night, Harry made me the happiest girl in the world & asked me to marry him in the most perfect way."
A few months later, in June 2018 on the couple's 7th anniversary, Fern shared a picture of her large rock. Her beautiful engagement ring is a square-shaped diamond.
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© Dave BenettRaheem Sterling and Paige Milian
Paige Milian got engaged to football star Raheem Sterling in 2018, one year after she gave birth to their son Thiago. Paige, who met her fiance when they were teenagers, has shown off a glittering round-cut diamond engagement ring.
They had hoped to tie the knot in 2020 but their wedding plans were postponed amid the Covid pandemic.
