THIS year’s World Cup Wags are in a premier league of their own when it comes to brains.
Many of the footie wives and girlfriends who have travelled to Qatar to support their partners have earned good degrees and gone on to build top-class careers to rival their famous footballing fellas’ efforts on the pitch.
Here, Yasmin Harisha reveals the wise Wags who really know the score.
Katie Kane – Wife of Harry Kane
Degree in Sports Science
ENGLAND Captain Harry’s wife Katie is a fitness instructor, with a sports science degree.
The pair, both 29, have gone from childhood sweethearts to happily married and living in Chingford, Essex, where they now even have a team of their own – children Ivy, five, Vivienne Jane, four, and one-year-old Louis.
They also have two dogs called Brady and Wilson, named after NFL quarterbacks Tom Brady and Russell Wilson.
The pair have watched each other grow, and Harry said of Katie: “We went to school together, so she’s seen my whole career.
“Of course, she’s finding it a little crazy.”
We’re proud to say she is One Of Our Own.
Milly Adams – Fiancée to Ben White
2:1 degree in Childhood Studies
IT’S been quite a year for Arsenal defender Ben – in June he proposed to girlfriend Milly, then this month he got the call-up for England’s World Cup squad.
Milly, from Herts, is now an Instagram model, boasting 14.9k followers, but before that she proved her brain power by graduating in 2019.
The pair, who are both 25, confirmed their relationship in February this year – and since their engagement, it appears they are a really solid team.
Charlotte Trippier – Wife of Kieran Trippier
Degree in Interior Design
AS defender Kieran prepares to play for England in his second World Cup, his wife Charlotte will be cheering him on all the way.
She and the 32-year-old Newcastle star have been married since 2016, and are parents to Jacob, five, and Esme Rose, two.
As well as being known for her fashionable outfits, Charlotte, 33, is also a member of The Style Sisters, a super-successful home interior business, and she has more than 270k followers on Instagram.
She started the brand with her sister Gemma, 32, after obtaining her interior design degree.
The pair call themselves the “Trinny and Susannah” of home makeovers and charge up to £995 per room, which covers a full renovation.
Fern Maguire – Wife of Harry Maguire
First class honours degree in
Science and Physiotherapy
THE couple have gone from lovestruck Sheffield teenagers to husband and wife, and are each other’s rock.
Not only has Fern, 28, been watching from the sidelines supporting 29-year-old Harry on his World Cup mission, but she has also been making sure she qualifies in her own league.
After graduating in 2017 she became a physiotherapist.
The pair, who have a three-year-old daughter, Lillie Saint, live in Manchester, where Fern regularly posts endorsed snaps on Instagram to her 100k followers – netting her up to £5,000 per post.
Megan Pickford – Wife of Jordan Pickford
2:1 degree in Childhood Studies
CHILDHOOD sweetheart Megan proved to be a keeper for Jordan, and they tied the knot at a register office in Crewe in June 2020, having had to postpone their lavish Maldives ceremony due to the pandemic.
The 28-year-old England goalie met Megan when she was 14 and they were at St Robert of Newminster RC secondary school in Washington, Tyne and Wear.
She graduated in 2017, and gave birth to the couple’s son Arlo George in 2019.
Megan appears to work on her blogging, with 93.3k Instagram followers and lots of endorsements from luxury brands such as Hermes and Alexander Wang.
Paige Milian – Fiancée to Raheem Sterling
Degree in Property Development
IT’S all about playing forward for Raheem, and not just on the pitch.
The Chelsea star and his fiancée Paige, 25, who has a degree in property development, snapped up an entire road of houses in 2019 for £1million after setting up their own property firm.
Paige, who is mum to Thiago, five, and Thai-Cruz, three, with 27-year-old Raheem, announced on Instagram that the couple had bought the homes.
She wrote: “After months of studying property development, I achieved my qualification to become a property developer in 2018.
“We then started a search of properties to add to our portfolio and was then successful in purchasing six brand new houses.”
She added: “We plan to add more projects to our portfolio in the future.”
Paige, who has 103k followers, has also endorsed posts from high-end fashion designers including Jacquemus and Fendi, which could also bring in a nice bit of extra income.
Top marks to her.
Lucia Loi – Girlfriend of Marcus Rashford
First class honours degree in Advertising and Brand Management
AFTER three years of study at Manchester Metropolitan University, Lucia’s qualification and her top grade led to a job as an account executive at Manchester PR firm Sugar.
She and Manchester United forward Marcus, 25, started dating when they were at school.
Lucia, 22, was spotted cheering him on from the stands when he played for England against Colombia at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
And with that degree, she has shown she can be a first-class supporter this year.
