Wags have set tongues wagging in years gone by – will Russia 2018 be the same?

Oct 01, 2017

THE Eastern Bloc is set to get a lot warmer as Gareth Southgate has given permission for his stars to bring their Wags to the World Cup in Russia.

The England boss said yesterday: “I will absolutely encourage families to come and see the lads after a game.”

Posh Spice, left, leads Wags with, second right, Michael Owen’s wife, Louise, flanked by Wayne Rooney’s Coleen and Elen Rivas, Frank Lampard’s ex , in 2006

The England boss said that he will ‘absolutely encourage families to come and see the lads after a game’

Footballers’ partners were banned in 2010 and almost axed before Brazil 2014.

Now England’s glamorous other halves can look forward to Russia next summer.

But will current Wags such as Dele Alli’s girlfriend Ruby Mae be as much of a distraction as their predecessors?

Here, we look back at the wives and girlfriends who set tongues wagging.

GERMANY 2006

Photographers followed every move of DAVID BECKHAM’s wife VICTORIA, ASHLEY COLE’s other half CHERYL, PETER CROUCH’s girlfriend ABBEY CLANCY and WAYNE ROONEY’s partner COLEEN as the original Wags glammed it up in sleepy Baden Baden. On one spree, the girls blew £4,000 in an hour on shopping and drinking.

Photographers followed every move of the Wags when they were in Germany in 2006[/caption]

Photographers followed every move of the Wags at the World Cup in Germany in 2006 — Cheryl and Victoria Beckham during a particularly tense moment of the the 2006 campaign

The Wags blew £4,000 on shopping and drinking in one hour during one spree

ELEN RIVAS — FRANK LAMPARD’s then-fiancée — ended a showdown in a nightclub by shouting “f*** off” at locals.

The team crashed out in the quarter finals. RIO FERDINAND said later: “People worried more about

what they were wearing than the games.”

SOUTH AFRICA 2010

After failing to qualify for Euro 2008, England boss FABIO CAPELLO cut Wags’ time with his stars to just one day.

Dele Alli’s girlfriend Ruby Mae will hopefully be in Russia for the World Cup[/caption]

One of the nights the Wags went out it ended in a nightclub showdown as a local was told to ‘f*** off’

Ruby May is a 22-year-old model — Ruby Mae is a 22-year-old model

Ruby Mae and Dele Alli have been an item since the summer of 2016

The ladies were said to have complained — and the ban did not work. Germany’s 4-1 win sent a humbled England crashing out.

POLAND & UKRAINE 2012

Boss ROY HODGSON gave Wags the chance to stroll around Krakow with their partners. Coleen Rooney paid £14,000 for a private jet to visit her man.

Coleen Rooney with her son on their way to the Euros in Poland in 2012[/caption]

Cheryl and Ashley Cole split up in 2010 amid claims that he cheated on her

Ruby Mae went on holiday to Ibiza while Dele Alli went on holiday to America

The model supported Dele at the 2016 Euros after England lost to Iceland

Italy beat England in the Euro tournament’s quarter finals.

BRAZIL 2014

After dithering on whether the Wags should be allowed on the pre-tournament tour, Hodgson let them go to Brazil.

The Wags were upstaged in the 2014 World Cup with Shakira, who is dating Spain’s Gerard Pique

But they were upstaged by Colombian singer SHAKIRA — dating Spain’s GERARD PIQUE — and CRISTIANO RONALDO’s Russian model girlfriend IRINA SHAYK. The team were thumped by Italy and Uruguay.