Rise of the ‘superwags’ building brand empires – from Cristiano Ronaldo’s savvy £20m partner to ‘Argentina’s Madonna’
ONCE footballers' wives and girlfriends were expected to be content with a life on the sidelines.
But now they’re just as likely to be making millions as their fellas.
The era of the “superwags” has been ushered in by Georgina Rodriguez, the partner of Man U ace Cristiano Ronaldo.
The 27-year-old has built up an estimated £20million empire after a string of international deals.
But she’s not the only one making a fortune.
From brainy lawyers to fashion brands and pop stardom - we reveal some of the WAGS who have careers to envy their footballer fellas.
Georgina Rodriguez
The mother-of-four had humble beginnings and worked as a nanny in London after studying English in London.
But Georgina now has turned herself into a reported £20million brand.
She met her boyfriend Cristiano Ronaldo, 36, when she was working as a saleswoman at Gucci in 2016 and he was still playing for Real Madrid.
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It was “love at first sight” and the pair have gone on to have four children together - with two more on the way.
But Georgina has also been busy building her global business - boasting deals with Swiss cosmetic brand Gisada and Italian bikini firm Effek.
Since coming to the UK with Ronaldo - after his return to Manchester United earlier this year - she is expected to build on her deals with British fashion brands including Pretty Little Thing and yoga company Alo Yoga.
She’s also set to star in a new Netflix series about her life.
Oriana Sabatini
Multi-talented Oriana has amassed an estimated £4million fortune thanks to her pop career in South America.
The Buenos Aires-born beauty - the girlfriend of Juventus star Paulo Dyabla - began her modelling career at the age of 13 in her home country of Argentina, moving on to find fame as an actress.
The 25-year-old widened her appeal after starring in Uruguayan telenovela Porque te quiero así.
In 2017 Oriana turned to music and released her first single Love Me Down Easy.
Her music career has seen her heralded as “Argentina's answer to Madonna”.
She supported Ariana Grande on her Dangerous Woman tour in 2017, where she met her partner Dybala.
But wasn't confirmed until they posted a selfie together after the 2018 World Cup.
She says of 26-year-old Dybala: "He is what I look for in a partner, someone that values me and respects me.”
Wanda Nara
Once the queen of Italian TV, this stunning blonde has built herself an empire worth a reported £3million.
The Argentinian-born businesswoman runs her own beauty brand Wanda Nara Cosmetics and is launching her own fashion line.
The 29-year-old married PSG star Mauro Icardi in 2014, shortly after her divorce from his former Sampdoria teammate Maxi Lopez.
Eight months later, Mauro and Wanda welcomed their first child together, Francesca.
The relationship has been rocked by cheating scandals - but the pair have stuck together.
Wanda’s business savvy also sees her work as her husband’s football agent.
She says that "knowing all his dreams" has helped her to land huge transfer deals for her hubby.
Perrie Edwards
The award-winning Little Mix singer has been loved up with Liverpool’s Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain for five years.
He was first spotted supporting Perrie at The X-Factor studios as Little Mix performed back in 2016 and the couple have gone from strength to strength.
In August the pair welcomed baby Axel to their brood.
And Perrie, 28, from South Shields, has made a fortune in her own right.
According to the Sunday Times, Little Mix have sold 60 million records worldwide and have a of £45 million.
Since the band’s split Perrie has been working on her own luxury lifestyle brand Disora and previously released her own range of trainers.
Her social media accounts are also lucrative - according to digital marketing agency Pilot Fish Media, Perrie can now earn as much as £27,000 per Instagram post.
Melanie Martial
Melanie first made her name on French reality TV when she appeared on Secret Story - a series loosely based on Big Brother.
The 30-year-old has been with Red Devils star Anthony, 26, since 2016 - but their relationship was initially controversial.
The Man U star dumped his then girlfriend Samantha Jacquelinet in 2016 and quickly moved in with Melanie.
They have since wed and welcomed their son Swan, three, into the world.
Melanie rejects the traditional WAG stereotype, saying it’s not all holidays and handbags.
She said: “That is just the stereotype. Just because a wife isn’t out there telling people their lives doesn’t mean they do nothing."
Melanie has built up a following of 3.4 million followers on Instagram and can reportedly charge over £100,000 per ad on the site.
She has recently made a foray into fashion - designing her own line of clothing - and made her Paris Fashion Week debut earlier this year.
Marta Diaz
The Spanish beauty is a leading influencer and is active on both YouTube and Instagram.
She has amassed close to three million followers and can earn close to £90,000 with one Insta advert.
Marta, 21, would initially focus on make-up tutorials but now posts videos of her travels and adventures on her channel.
She has been in a relationship with Spurs player Sergio Reguilón since 2019.
They first met in a nightclub in Madrid and were spotted publicly for the first time attending the wedding of Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos and Pilar Rubio in Seville.
Now the couple share their lives on social media - and Sergio, 25, often pops up in her videos.
He : “A lot of what Marta does touches my heart.
“The number of surprise trips that she has made to visit me in Seville and now London are the small things that mean so much.
“It’s why I enjoy doing the videos too, because everything is done out of laughter and love.”
Camille Tytgat
The wife of Manchester United footballer Raphael Varane, Camille has perhaps the loftiest background of all Premier League wags.
The French beauty is a qualified lawyer - making sure to finish her degree before settling down with her childhood sweetheart.
Centre back Varane, 28, and Camille's romance reportedly began around 2010, when they were still at high school.
They grew up in Lille together, before he embarked on his football career that began with Lens.
Their love stood the test of time, and they married in 2015 in front of the town hall of the seaside town Le Touquet.
She has two children with Varane, a son called Ruben, four, and a girl called Anais, who was born in October last year.
Marte Koepp
Brentford star Kristoffer Ajer's stunning model girlfriend can often be found supporting her man in the stands.
But she has a stellar career in her own right - working across both marketing and graphic design.
The 23-year-old leggy Norwegian blonde has also modelled in the past.
But it's not all work and no play, and she's also a big music fan.
She has shared pictures from the TRNSMT festival with Brentford's Ajer - with the couple kissing while enjoying Scottish crooner Lewis Capaldi.
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The pair also enjoy travelling the world together and rang in 2020 in New York.
Most recently, the pair enjoyed a getaway to Greece.