PHOTOS: Squad of 23 wives and girlfriends off to Brazil
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In seven days from now, the best players in the football universe will begin the battle for the sport’s ultimate prize – the World Cup.
But while the World Cup will see the most talented football stars on the planet go head to head, it will also be home of the glamorous wives and girlfriends.
Sportsmail selects 23-man squad of the best WAGS heading to Brazil this summer
Irina Shayk (Cristiano Ronaldo)
Arguably the most famous of the WAGs in Brazil this summer, it takes quite something to draw the attention away from Ronaldo but Russian supermodel Irina Shayk manages to do just that.
The power couple, who have been dating since 2010, recently posed in a racy photoshoot for Spanish Vogue by famous photographer Mario Testino.
Shayk shot to fame after starring in the video for Kanye West’s hit Power back in 2010.
Shakira (Gerard Pique)
The pair met while filming the video for Shakira’s 2010 World Cup song, Waka Waka, and began dating soon after that tournament, which was won by the Barcelona centre-back and his Spanish team-mates.
Their family trophy cabinet must be a sight to behold, with the Colombian singer having sold more than 70 million worldwide and winning a host of international awards, while Pique has won European Championships and a World Cup with Spain and triumphed three times in the Champions League.
Despite the reception to Waka Waka, Pique has starred in the video for Shakira’s offering for the Brazil World Cup, the imaginatively named La, La, La.
Bruna Marquezine (Neymar)
Despite a patchy end to the domestic season, which saw Neymar split up with soap star girlfriend Bruna Marquezine and fail to hold down a starting place in Barcelona’s first team, the Brazil star appears to be getting things back on track both on and off the pitch.
Reports that Neymar had started dating 20-year-old model Gabriella Lenzi seemed off the mark, after Marquezine was spotted with the forward earlier this week.
The 18-year-old watched Neymar and his Brazil team-mates train and the pair were pictured kissing after the session ended.
Ann-Kathrin Brommel (Mario Gotze)
As a model, singer and blogger – young German star Gotze’s girlfriend showed herself as a talented woman before hooking up with the 22-year-old in Ibiza.
Brommel is just as versatile as her boyfriend – who has appeared as a false nine for Germany and Bayern Munich – and lists her hobbies as jogging, singing, cooking and piano playing.
Appearances in FHM have brought her a worldwide following while she attempts to crack Germany under her singing alias, Trina B.
Antonella Roccuzzo (Lionel Messi)
The three-time Ballon d’Or winner met Antonella before he achieved global fame with a ball at his feet having grown up together in the Argentine town of Rosario.
They started dating in 2008 and in 2012 had their first child together, whom they named Thiago.
In enemy territory this summer, Antonella will be doing her best to keep Messi calm and relaxed as Argentina aim to win their first World Cup trophy since 1986.
Edurne Garcia Almagro (David De Gea)
Manchester United’s Player of Year boasts Spanish synthpop star Edurne as his other half.
The 28-year-old isn’t well known in England but can boast a top-five chart hit in her native Spain – with 2006’s ‘Despierta’.
Her appearance at United’s end-of-season dinner turned heads in a sparkly red outfit but she might not see much of her man at the World Cup – De Gea is likely to be third choice ‘keeper for Spain.
Glittering: Edurne Garcia’s sparkly red outfit (left) at United’s player of the year awards drew some attention
Carla Kompany (Vincent Kompany)
Proud Mancunian Higgs considers herself to be Belgian and is a self-professed sports lover, so it will be no surprise to see her in the stands in Brazil.
The radio presenter might even be seen in a red sweater that she has sported for Kompany’s Belgium games in the past and has already said she thinks the Red Devils can go far.
Higgs first met the Belgium captain when he was playing for Hamburg and – as a lifelong City fan – is believed to be a big influence in his career.
Sara Carbonero (Iker Casillas)
Once voted the world’s sexiest journalist, Carbonero will provide Spain’s captain with a decent distraction, should he have little to do as the champion’s dominate possession in Brazil.
At the last World Cup the 29-year-old beauty was accused of disrupting Casillas in Spain’s surprise 1-0 defeat to Switzerland after filming around the goalmouth.
It didn’t seem to affect him too much though and the Real Madrid ‘keeper greeted his wife with a kiss in their post-match interview after their win in the final.
Michela Quattrociocche (Alberto Aquilani)
Typically stylish, the Italian midfielder has been with Quattrociocche since before his ill-fated move to Liverpool in 2009.
He married the Italian film actress shortly after his switch from Roma and she gave birth to their first child, Aurora, in 2011.
Speaking about their relationship, Michela said: ‘Alberto is the most important love story in my life. Ours is a connection like one in a film. Ours is a love that gives your cramps in the stomach.’
Yolanthe Sneijder-Cabau (Wesley Sneijder)
A daughter of a wealthy entrepreneur known as the King of Ibiza, Yolanthe starred in the Dutch drama comedy Voetbalvrouwen – think real-life Footballers’ Wives.
Just days after Sneijder was on the losing side with Netherlands in the final of the 2010 World, Yolanthe, fresh from being crowned Dutch FHM’s Sexiest Dutch Woman for the third time in four years, and he got married in Tuscany.
Yolanthe is co-founder and ambassador of Stop Kindermisbruik, a foundation which fights against child sex abuse in developing countries around the world.
Honour: Yolanthe was crowned as Dutch FHM’s Sexiest Dutch Woman three times in four years
Daniella Semaan (Cesc Fabregas)
Thirteen years older than Fabregas, Daniella left millionaire husband Elie Taktouk in 2011 after he opened his newspaper in June 2011 to see pictures of her kissing the Spain international.
Last year she gave birth to a daughter, Lia, while Fabregas was playing for Barcelona in the Champions League against Paris Saint-Germain.
Daniella, a regular in gossip magazines, is known to her friends as Queen DD because of her expansive cleavage.
Fanny Neguesha (Mario Balotelli)
Are they on? Are they off? Who knows.
The erratic Italian’s girlfriend has a similar wild-child reputation to her partner and even made it clear on social media she was single during earlier relationship troubles.
Her racy photos on Instagram have brought in 2875 followers including shots of her and the former-Manchester City striker.
After hitting the headlines as a bit of a playboy, Neguesha appears to be the woman who has tamed Balotelli and he has previously said ‘I could spend my whole life with someone like this.’
Leticia Sahagun (Javier Hernandez)
Chicharito’s WAG will be looking forward to the short trip to Brazil from her Mexican home.
Despite the goal-poacher’s move to Manchester four years ago, Sahagun has stayed in Central America – although the two frequently reach out to each other to profess their love on Twitter.
They tend to keep their relationship private – although the couple were snapped together at United’s Player of the Year dinner last month.
Amra Silajdzic (Edin Dzeko)
City striker Dzeko isn’t too keen on the limelight off the pitch – but his Bosnian beauty girlfriend is very different.
In fact, reports back at home hinted at an argument earlier this year after she posted a photo of the pair kissing on Instagram – something Dzeko took exception too.
The model and actress speaks Bosnian, French and English and helped the towering striker celebrate City’s title win in style.
Evangelina Anderson (Martin Demichelis)
Argentine model Anderson stands at just a tiny 4ft9 compared to her 6ft boyfriend – and finally has more hair than him after he gave his mop the chop.
The 30-year-old got a much better reception on the pitch at City’s victory party than Demichelis in his early days before he turned the fans around.
And Anderson will be hoping she again proves a lucky charm as Argentina look to ruin the party in the Maracana at the final next month.
Pilar Rubio (Sergio Ramos)
Rubio is a familiar face in Spain due to her work as a television presenter – but she keeps a low-profile in her relationship with Champions League-winner Ramos.
Despite that, Ramos made an impromptu appearance on her television show singing Flamenco to her and playing guitar earlier this season.
Sadly she could end up missing the World Cup in order to look after their new-born son, Sergio Junior.
Sam Cooke (Chris Smalling)
Smalling may have come under criticism for his poor showing in England’s friendly against Ecuador last night, but the Manchester United defender will no doubt have been consoled by his Page 3 girlfriend Sam Cooke.
Glamour model Cooke, 29, has been posing for cameras for eight years but she reportedly plans to disappoint her fans by ditching her modelling career in order to focus on DJing.
In the past she has worked with famous Ibiza club promoters HedKandi.
Laia Grassi (Alexis Sanchez)
Talented art director and designer Grassi got together with Chile’s Sanchez after his move to Barcelona in 2011.
There has already been talk of a wedding with the blue-eyed girl prolific in posting pictures of the couple on Instagram.
Chile are dark horses in Group B but if Sanchez can be as impressive as his partner in the stands then they could spring a surprise.
Sarah Brandner (Bastian Schweinsteiger)
German model Sarah Brandner first coupled up with Bayern Munich midfielder Schweinsteiger on a holiday to party island Ibiza.
The 5ft11 blonde is often seen cheering on her boyfriend at matches for club and country – and will inevitably draw the camera’s eye in the stands in Brazil.
She admitted in an interview with GQ that her appearances at the European Championships two years ago led to ‘hordes of men’ chasing her.
Melissa Satta (Kevin-Prince Boateng)
Former-Portsmouth man Prince-Boateng has tended to miss games due to the amount of sex he has with his television presenter wife.
Satta, 27, has been with the Ghanaian international since 2011 and less than a year into the relationship revealed that he picks up minor injuries during their ‘seven to 10 times a week’ sex sessions.
‘I hate foreplay,’ she said. ‘I want to get straight to the point. My favourite position is on top so I can take control.’
Coleen Rooney (Wayne Rooney)
Rooney married his childhood sweetheart Coleen in 2008, a decade after they first met in Liverpool at the age of 12.
She has profited from the England striker’s fame by writing a gossip column, releasing her own fitness DVD and becoming the face of Asda’s George at Asda campaign.
Coleen and their two children Klay, 1, and Kai, 5, will be in Brazil as England try to end 48 years of hurt.
Bethany Dempsey (Clint Dempsey)
Dempsey’s wife Bethany is not your typical WAG. The mother-of-two has brains to match her beauty, with a Master’s Degree to show for it.
And when USA forward Dempsey moved to England to join Fulham in 2007 she completed an internship in educational psychology.
Bethany make look familiar to football fans having covered herself in body paint and featuring on the front cover of a special World Cup wives edition of Sports Illustrated before the last World Cup in 2010.
-DaiilyMail
ABOUT: Nana Kwesi Coomson
[email protected] An Entrepreneur, Corporate Social Responsibility, Corporate Communications Executive and Philanthropist. Editor-in-Chief of www.233times.com. A Senior Journalist with Ghanaian Chronicle Newspaper. An alumnus of Adisadel College where he read General Arts. His first degree is in Bachelor of Arts - Political Science (major) and History (minor) from the University of Ghana. He holds MSc in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Energy with Public Relations (PR) from the Robert Gordon University in the United Kingdom. He is a 2018 Mandela Washington Fellow who studied at Clark Atlanta University in USA on the Business and Entrepreneurship track.
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