Are we seeing the reinvention of the WAGs at Euro 2024?
Words by Busayo Aluko
As the pictures of England’s players entering the stands after their Euros semi-final victory were beamed back to an audience of millions, the faces of the loved ones they were embracing would have been unknown to many watching.
The partners of England players have been a constant feature throughout this tournament, but unlike previous eras, the current crop tend to stay out of the limelight and play more of a background role.
The term WAGS - the acronym for 'Wives And Girlfriends' was popularised in the early 2000s to describe the arrival of Victoria Beckham, Cheryl Cole and Coleen Rooney on the England football scene.
The last time England played a tournament in Germany in 2006 was arguably the peak of the WAG era. Images of wives and girlfriends on shopping trips and partying through Baden-Baden, home of the team’s base, attracted as much media attention as the team’s exploits on the pitch.
With the attention, came a series of tabloid stories about ‘overspending’ and ‘drunken nights out’ in the small German town.
The ‘distraction’ led to a pre-match ban at the following World Cup in South Africa by England manager Fabio Capello, with visits limited to once a week and only after a game had been played.
“We became a bit of a circus,” Rio Ferdinand said two years after Baden-Baden. “Football almost became a secondary element to the main event. People were worrying more about what people were wearing or where people were going than the England football team.”
So 18-years-later, and back in Germany with a successful England team, are we seeing the term WAG reclaimed, and reinvented?
The current generation of WAGS have formed a different relationship with the public eye, one which is filled with boundaries and engagement on their own terms.
Megan Davison, 28, the wife of England’s goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and Kate Kane, 31, wife of England captain Harry Kane were both seen in the stands watching England beat the Netherlands 2-1.
The two consistently blur the faces of their children in the pictures they post on Instagram. This is a big contrast to the previous cohort of WAGS, who would have their family photos featured in magazines.
Love Island season four winner, Dani Dyer was also at the match. The 27-year-old wore an England jersey with a denim and skirt and Fendi bag as she watched her partner, and father of her twin daughters, Jarrod Bowen. Just like the other WAGS, Dyer has been keeping a low profile during the tournament, other than answering questions from fans during an Instagram Q&A - where she admitted to being a ‘needy girlfriend’ who missed her boyfriend.
One of those to have consistently caught attention in the stands is Tolami Benson, girlfriend of Arsenal forward Bukayo Saka, who seems to be pioneering a new generation of WAG culture.
Dubbed by Vogue as "the woman reviving the WAG", Benson, 23, has garnered a lot of attention on social media with her eye-catching chic England-themed outfits during the Euros. Most notably a personalised motorcycle jacket with her boyfriend’s academy number that she commissioned from designer Antonia Bronze, who made a TikTok about the whole process.
Since the tournament started, her Instagram followers have skyrocketed to just over 172,000 - with people curious to see what she’ll wear next. Since the Euros have been on she has gained at least 2,000 new followers daily on Instagram.
Benson seems to be a part of a new type of WAG – one that is only seen when they want to be seen, while still knowing how to pique people’s interests.
Other than her Instagram posts the 23-year-old who works in Media Strategy and Planning has quite a low profile and has never spoken about her relationship with Saka publicly. The two don’t even follow each other on Instagram.
All that is really known about her is that she is a British-Nigerian from Hertfordshire with a reported public relations degree from Birmingham City University.
These WAGS might not be household names just yet, but maybe they don’t even want to be. Either way, let’s hope their winning influence on England shines through in the final.
Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...