World Cup Wives: 11 Gorgeous Women You’ll See On The Sidelines

With the 2014 FIFA World Cup kicking off (see what I did there?) in Brazil today, everyone has their eyes on the players. Messi, Neymar, Ronaldo and all the other International footballers will be all you hear about for the next month.

In an effort to study up on said players, I did some digging in to their personal life and was unsurprised to learn that my hypothesis about appearance (based on an altered version of an age-old saying) was correct: Behind every good-looking man is an even better-looking woman.

The proof is in the pictures. So I stalked some Instagrams, searched all the gossip magazine archives, and painstakingly judged the babe-liness of dozens of soccer player’s partners. Below, my absolutely biased, based-in-nothing-other-than-my-own-personal-taste list of the sexiest WAGs* of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Ugh, my job is so hard.

1. Shakira

Boyfriend: Gerard Piqué, Spain

Why She’s Such A Babe: Do I even need to answer this question? Have you seen the “Can’t Remember To Forget You” video? Shakira’s hips don’t lie. Cute fact? The parents to 16-month-old son Milan first met when Piqué starred in Shakira’s “Waka Waka” video, the official song of the 2010 World Cup.

2. Irina Shayk

Boyfriend: Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal

Why She’s Such A Babe: The Russian model was the cover star of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition in 2011 and met Ronaldo when they shot their Armani Exchange campaign together. This summer, you can catch her on the big screen for the first time opposite Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in Hercules.

3. Melissa Satta

Boyfriend: Kevin-Prince Boateng, Ghana

Why She’s Such A Babe: The tattooed Italian television personality is as versatile as she is beautiful. Satta has hosted sports programs, comedy shows, even the Italian version of “TRL.” Now, she’s playing mama to 2-month-old son Maddox Prince.

4. Lena Gercke

Boyfriend: Sami Khedira, Germany

Why She’s Such A Babe: After winning the first cycle of Germany’s “Next Top Model,” Gercke went on to walk in New York Fashion Week and star in an H&M print campaign.

5. Michela Quattrociocche

Husband: Alberto Aquilani, Italy

Why She’s Such A Babe: The actress first made waves as the star of Sorry, If I Love You, an Italian romantic comedy about an older executive who falls for a high school senior. Since, Quattrociocche has continued acting and become a mother to three-year-old Aurora.

6. Antonella Roccuzzo

Boyfriend: Lionel Messi, Argentina

Why She’s Such A Babe: Friends with Messi since childhood, Roccuzzo has maintained a low profile, despite Messi’s international fame. The Argentinian stays out of the spotlight, spending time with their eighteen-month-old son Thiago. And isn’t it refreshing that someone with such enviable hair and that sparkling smile doesn’t seem to want to be famous?

7. Yolanthe Sneijder-Cabau

Husband: Wesley Sneijder, Netherlands

Why She’s Such A Babe: Sneijder-Cabau was a Dutch soap star and model before she turned her aesthetic prowess towards jewelry design. Her coolest endeavor? Co-founding Free A Girl, a charity focused on preventing child prostitution and assisting in the rehabilitation of abuse victims in India and Southeast Asia.

8. Fanny Neguesha

Fiance: Mario Balotelli, Italy

Why She’s Such A Babe: The Belgium bombshell has an booty like Iggy Azalea and a walk like Naomi Campbell. She was on the cover of Vogue Germany back in 2009 and is currently busy on Instagram making all my own selfies look like s**t.

9. Alex Gerrard

Husband: Steven Gerrard, England

Why She’s Such A Babe: Gerrard, who wed the British midfielder in 2007, is looked at as WAG royalty. A former writer for OK Magazine, currently a health and fitness blogger for the Hello!, Gerrard gets buff between being a mama to three girls; Lilly, Lexie and Lourdes.

10. Sara Carbonero

Boyfriend: Iker Casillas, Spain

Why She’s Such A Babe: A sports journalist, Carbonero was chastised during the 2010 FIFA World Cup for allegedly “distracting” goalie boyfriend Casillas during a match and causing Spain to lose in an upset. That’s how smokin’ hot this woman is.

11. Mandy Capristo

Boyfriend: Mesut Özil, Germany

Why She’s Such A Babe: Capristo’s singing career kicked off back in 2006 with Monrose, a female trio formed on the German reality show “Popstars.” The group released three successful albums before Capristo broke out on her own for her 2012 solo album, Grace.