From the ‘beast in the bedroom’ who loves outdoor sex to the glamour model who dated Sid Owen – meet the Belgian WAGs cheering on against England
WITH England out of the World Cup, it's fair to say the attention may drift from the pitch to the stunning WAGs in the stand during the final match between England and Belgium on Saturday.
Alongside the likes of Jamie Vardy’s wife, Rebekah, and Jordan Pickford’s glamorous fiancé, Megan Davison - the gorgeous WAGS of the Belgium team will also be vying for attention in the stands.
From the WAG who shouts about sex in public to the former glamour model who once dated EastEnders' star Sid Owen - these Belgian beauties will also be hoping for a victory.
But have they got what it takes to outdo our own glamorous WAGS?
The ‘beast in the bedroom’
Superstar Belgium and Napoli winger Dries Mertens may be known for his skillful presence on the pitch, but his wife, programme creator Katrin Kerhofs, known as ‘Kat’ isn’t shy about championing his technique off the pitch.
, described herself during a TV interview as "a beast in the bedroom" and they long-term partner Dries love sex in public places, with her top spot being the train toilet.When she’s not getting frisky outside, fitness fan Kat owns a sports shop in her small Belgian hometown of Leuven, although does most of her work from the couple’s home in Naples.
“I think it’s cool people can say I do something. I’m not just a footballer’s wife. I’m a businesswoman,” she recently told Belgian publication NWK Rusland.
Although it’s not all work and no play, as the researcher-turned-retailer also loves chips smothered with ketchup, Coca Cola, and white wine.
Kat is also an adrenaline junkie, who has raced cars, played basketball, and driven motorboats.
She met childhood sweetheart Dries in their hometown of Leuven, and they married in 2015 after 10 years of dating. They also share a dog, a scruffy little terrier named Jullekes, meaning "black lady".
Sid Owen's ex-fiancee
After marrying Barcelona defender Thomas Vermaelen last June, 34-year-old former glamour model Polly Parsons became Polly Vermaelen.
You may already recognise the name, as Polly was engaged to former EastEnders actor Sid Owen, whom she dated for six years before splitting in 2012, the same year she met Vermaelen.
Polly also presented TV shows, starred in a children’s series and first met Sid when they were performing together at a Snow White pantomime in Middlesex.
As an actress she played Crystal in Nickelodeon show Disastrous, Becky in Meet the Parents and popped up in BBC3's Don't Get Screwed.
But she is commonly known for presenting The Real Hustle.
Bristol-born Polly, who stays fit with cross-training and weights, was crowned now defunct men’s magazine FHM’s "Queen WAG" in 2014, after meeting Thomas at a party held by Dutch footballer Robin Van Persie.
Polly and Thomas have two sons, Raff, four, and Ace, two, who were page boys at their wedding, dressed in adorable matching blue suits.
Tattooed beautician who conceived during last World Cup
Tattooed stunner Rafaella Szabo-Witzel is married to Belgium’s midfielder Axel Witzel, and the couple share two adorable daughters – a three-year-old daughter Mai-Li, and a one-year-old called Evy.
Their daughters both have their parents’ trademark natural curls, although Rafaella prefers her hair straightened with blonde extensions.
The couple, who wed in 2015, just three months after welcoming their first daughter, relocated to China last year after Axel transferred from Zenit St Petersburg to Chinese club Tianjin Quanjian on a contract of £294,000 a week.
The 25-year-old glamour model-turned-marketing manager, who married Atletico Madrid ace Yannick Carrasco in June last year after three years of dating, was crowned Miss Belgium in 2013, and later represented her country in Miss Universe.
The couple made headlines when he kissed her on the front seats after the scoring the equaliser for Atletico in the Champion’s League game in 2014.
Noemie speaks four different languages and studied psychology in Liege, in the hopes of becoming a speech therapist.
She later switched to marketing, completing a post-grad degree in the subject in Liege, where she met Yannick in a bar – apparently not knowing he was a footballer.
“Seducing a footballer was never one of my goals. I had a fairly stereotyped image of footballers and I was afraid he had a reputation,” she told Belgian mag Story.
Noemie also describes herself as a "clean skincare addict, pretty food lover and traveller" on Instagram. In the last year she and Yannick have travelled to Dubai twice, Paris, China, and Italy.
The theatre director
Married to Tottenham Hotspur player Jan Vertonghen, Sophie De Vries is one of the more reserved WAGS, and the sweet couple have been dating since meeting at secondary school in Amsterdam.
Unlike fellow childhood sweetheart, England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford’s fiancé Megan, Dutch-born Sophie shuns the spotlight and doesn’t have any social media accounts.
The brunette beauty does occasionally make appearances on Jan’s own account, but prefers to focus on her career as a theatre director.
Sophie studied for a BA in Theatre in Education in Amsterdam and completed an MA in Movement: Directing and Teaching at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London.
Jan and Sophie live in London, where their boho house is complete with Amy Winehouse prints, hand-drawn portraits of their children, and colourful fabrics across their white sofas.
The down-to-earth couple also pin polaroid pictures of their family on the fridge.
They share two children – three year-old daughter Leyla, who was born a year after they wed in 2014, and a son who was born in September last year.
Luckily Jan healed quickly from his knee injury in 2016, yet the two month recovery time allowed him to spend quality time with then one-year-old Leyla.
The fashion blogger
Deborah Panzoku is the long-term girlfriend of Paris Saint-Germain defender Thomas Meunier, and the couple live in the French capital city.
At 24, Deborah, who is originally from Belgium, has two children with Thomas, a two-year-old called Landrys, and the couple welcomed another son in April.
Describing herself as fashion blogger, Deborah shares her family adventures with her 39,000 followers, and enjoys posting about baby fashion, travel, and food.
The blogger is a fashion fan too, showcasing an impressive handbag collection on her Instagram account, including a £2,000 YSL satchel and a £1,500 quilted purple Gucci bag.
Deborah is also a social butterfly, and enjoys brunch and throwing parties. The couple threw a small party at their house before heading to Russia for the World Cup.
You’ll most likely see her next to fellow WAG Noemie Heppart, after posting a picture with the beauty queen onto Instagram, in which Deborah is seen waving a scarf printed with her partner’s name.
The professional horse-rider
Another WAG who prefers to shun the spotlight, Shani van Miegham, is an amateur horse dressage rider and beautician, who is married to Tottenham Hotspur player Toby Alderweireld.
The couple married in 2015, after meeting more than 10 years ago when he played for Amsterdam club Ajax, and announced just last month that they were expecting their first baby together.
In an anniversary post on Instagram, Toby wrote: “Can’t wait to discover parenting together”.
Although her Instagram account is kept private, Shani, 25, confirmed the happy news on Facebook, adding that they were expecting a baby girl in September.
Lamenting that she had been unable to ride while pregnant, brunette Shani posted a picture next to her horse writing: “2 are becoming 3. #babygirl #24weeks.”
She also wrote the years of her and Toby’s birth into the sand, adding “2018…coming soon”.
The sporty one
Her husband, Belgium and Chelsea player Eden Hazard may have amassed a huge 14.1 million followers on Instagram, but Natacha Van Honacker prefers to stay out of the limelight.
Natacha met the midfielder when he was just 14-years-old at school, and is believed to have moved in with him after finishing her studies at 18.
The pretty brunette is said to be sporty herself, and her interests include football and badminton, as well as cooking and reading.
Although she hasn’t been spotted at the World Cup, Natacha is more often than not seen cheering on Eden with their sons at his English games.
Unlike her fellow WAGS, Natacha often dresses down in denim and ditches stilettos in favour of wedges.
Her absence from Russia may be down to the boys’ schooling, as they share three sons – Yannis, eight, Leo, five, and three-year-old Sammy.
Natacha is thought to be a full-time mum to the boys – and it looks as if she certainly has her hands full!
The Belgium bombshell
Michele Lacroix married Belgium national and Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne in a lavish ceremony in Sorrento, on the Amalfi Coast in Italy last year.
The two first met in 2014, when Kevin split with his ex-girlfriend, Caroline Lijnen, after she had an affair with his Belgium teammate, Thibaut Courtois.
She also accused him of cheating on her with her former best friend, although claimed she had been unable to discuss it in fear of legal ramifications.
But Kevin clearly does have a romantic side, and proposed to Michele, 24, under the Eiffel Tower at Christmas time in 2016.
The couple also welcomed their two year-old-son, Mason Milian, earlier that year, and the super-cute blonde tot is the spitting image of his daddy.
Before meeting Kevin, Michele, who grew up in the Belgian city of Genk, studied at the University of Hasselt in Belgium.
According to Fabwags.com, Michele worked as a hostess at Belgium hosting company Prime Impressions while she was studying.
Michele and Mason have been spotted on the front row at the World Cup, with Michele posting a picture of Kevin holding their son. The doting mum and wife wrote: “So many emotions. So proud.”
Whatever happens on the field tomorrow, we can be sure that a glamorous bunch of WAGs from both sides will be there cheering for the finale of a fantastic World Cup.