WAGs became a thing in the 2000s, and now, we love seeing the latest girlfriends or wives of our favourite footballers. Some of these will surprise you, some of them won't - but they're all pretty iconic! Here is our selection of footballers who have dated celebrities.
Wesley Sneijder is a Dutch footballer, known for playing for Inter Milan and Real Madrid. He met his wife Yolanthe, who is an actress, model and TV presenter, and went on a few dates, and really enjoyed each other's company. The rest they say, is history!
Famous footballer Rio Ferdinand met Kate Wright, former TOWIE star, while on holiday in Dubai in 2017. The pair are now married, and Rio got his kids involved in his proposal to Kate. It was such a romantic scene in Abu Dhabi!
Former Tottenham player Kevin-Prince Boateng met Melissa Satta, a TV presenter, at Milan Fashion Week in 2011. Their relationship has been a rollercoaster, they've had a child, got married, separated, reunited and separated again in just over 10 years. Phew!
Though this couple won't surprise you, they're iconic. David and Victoria Beckham are the couple that started the whole notion of WAGs. They met back in the 90s, when Victoria was part of the Spice Girls, and her manager was a huge football fan. Since then, they've got married, had kids and successful careers!
Frankie was a celebrity in her own right before meeting Wayne, being known for being part of the bands S Club Juniors and The Saturdays. She met footballer Wayne Bridge at a party, and James Cordon put her number into Wayne's phone, and vice versa. They'd both been through bad breakups, but now, they're stronger than ever!
Former footballer and coach Mikel Arteta met Lorena Bernal, a model and former Miss Spain, in San Sebastian, the city where they both grew up. Mikel was living in Glasgow at the time, and she was living in Madrid. They got married in 2010 and have three sons together - Gabriel, Daniel and Oliver.
Sergio Ramas met his wife Pilar while she was TV presenting on the Se Lo Que Hicisteis set. Apparently, Sergio dreamt of her many times, before sending her a message. They got engaged in 2018 and got married the next year. Today, they have four children together!
Francesco Totti met Italian showgirl, Ilary Blasi, met in 2002 and married three years later in a Roman basilica. They were labelled to be Italy's "Posh and Becks", but unfortunately things didn't end that way. After two decades together and three children later, the pair were hit with cheating rumours. They split in 2022.
Spanish football player and pop sensation Shakira seemed like a matchmade in heaven from the moment they met in 2010. They met on the set for her music video, Waka Waka (This Time For Africa), and the year after, it was confirmed they were an item. They stayed together for 12 years, welcoming two sons.
West Ham goalkeeper Darren Randolph is now dating former X Factor winner Alexandra Burke. Alexandra was reluctant to date another footballer, but she couldn't resist Darren. They announced at the beginning of 2022 that they were expecting their first child together.
Andre Gray and Little Mix star Leigh-Anne met back in 2016, since then, their relationship has blossomed. They have got engaged, and had twins together! He even gifted her with a khaki Mercedes-Benz G-Class for her 30th, and he has even appeared in a Little Mix music video!
Liverpool player Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain met Little Mix singer Perrie Edwards first met during an interview in 2015 and began dating in 2016. They made it Instagram official in 2017, and the love story doesn't stop there! They got engaged and they became parents to baby Axel in 2021.
Footballer Sebastian Lletget and singer Becky G have been together since 2016. The pair met the old-fashioned way - they met through mutual friends, Naomi Scott and Jordan Spence. Naomi and Becky both starred together in Power Rangers. The happy couple gush that they are like best friends and they're each other's number one supporter.
They were one of football's hottest couples... Ashley met Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Cole back in 2004 and went official at the end of that year. After they got married in 2006, years of scandalous rumours over Ashley's loyalty started, and they eventually split in 2010. Cheryl is reported to have said, "Thank God the nightmare is over".
Cristiano Ronaldo met model Irina Shayk on the set of Armani Exchange during their modelling campaigns for the luxury brand back in 2009. Ronaldo proposed to her on Valentine's Day in 2011, but after 5 years of dating, they broke up, without never getting married. Ronaldo has since moved on with Georgina Rodriguez and their children.
Footballer Andy Carroll met former TOWIE star Billi Mucklow back in 2014. Things got serious very quickly, and today, they have three children together. Andy used to be known for his off-pitch antics, and credits Billie for him getting his act together.
Mesut Ozil met singer Mandy Capristo when she took part in the show Let's Dance, and he joined Real Madrid. They went public in 2013, but unfortunately, there was no wedding on the cards, as they split due to cheating rumours.
David de Gea met singer Edurne Garcia in 2014 while he was playing for Manchester United. After a few dates, they realized they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together, and they got married a few years later. Since then, they had their daughter Yanay in 2021 and they often post photos of their beautiful family on Instagram.
Footballer Scott Sinclair met Coronation Street actress Helen Flanagan when she was just 19. Together, they had three children together, and she even moved to Glasgow to be closer to Scott's work. While Helen was pregnant with their second daughter, Scott proposed during a family trip to Disneyland Paris. The couple split in 2022.
Footballer Jamie Redknapp met Louise, part of the girlband Eternal, when Robbie Williams introduced the pair. They were originally friends, but a relationship blossomed between the two. In June 1998, they got engaged - and married - in the space of a week! They had two sons together, Charley and Beau. Their relationship ended months after her appearance on Strictly Come Dancing in 2016.
