Meet the new England WAGs: From models and designers to Love Island winners

07 June 2024 , 20:29

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Jarrod Bowen and Dani Dyer on holiday

After tonight’s game against Iceland, it is next stop Germany for one of the most talented England squads in memory.

And assisting them in their quest for Euros glory will be a huge support team... not just coaches, physios and nutritionists, but the players’ wives and girlfriends too.

The last time a major tournament was held in Germany was the 2006 World Cup, when glamorous women travelling with players was still a new phenomenon.

A pack of paparazzi followed the likes of Coleen Rooney, Alex Curran, Victoria Beckham and Carly Zucker around the bars and boutiques of Baden-Baden, a sleepy spa town in Germany’s Black Forest.

Ollie Watkins and Ellie Alderson

Ebere Eze pictured with partner Izuthe Mulatto (Ebere Eze Instagram)

Now a new generation of players carries the nation’s hopes – with a little help from their better halves. Gareth Southgate ’s 26-man squad includes nine players in their first tournament, with the likes of Jack Grealish, Marcus Rashford and the injured Harry Maguire missing out.

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Crystal Palace forward Ebere Eze, 25, married his long-term girlfriend Izuthe Mulatto in 2022 and have enjoyed a quiet private life. Other partners have more of a public profile.Irish model Aine May Kennedy will be cheering on Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher, 24, while interior designer Ellie Alderson will be rooting for Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins, 28.

Anthony Gordon and Annie Keating

Aine May Kennedy and Conor Gallagher (ainemaykennedy/Instagram)

Watkins and Ellie have two children, and they won’t be the only young members of the entourage. Newcastle forward Anthony Gordon, 23, welcomed a baby boy with his childhood sweetheart, Annie Keating, last November, and West Ham winger Jarrod Bowen and his wife Dani Dyer, daughter of actor and Hammers fan Danny, had twin girls in 2023.

Jude Bellingham is only 20 but Euro 2024 will be his third tournament with England. But his girlfriend, Dutch model Laura Celia Valk, is making her debut – having featured in shoots with huge brands including Pretty Little Thing, Lounge Underwear and Gooseberry Intimates.

More familiar faces with the squad will include Megan Davison, wife of Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, 30, and fitness coach Katie Goodland, who is married to Three Lions captain and striker Harry Kane, also 30.

Euro 2024 begins on Sunday, June 14. England’s first game is on Tuesday, June 16.

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