Fresh off the heels of one landmark achievement, Pep Guardiola‘s Manchester City are looking to complete another historic feat at Wembley on Saturday.
Just as they did 12 months ago, Manchester United stand in their way, not for a treble this time around, but becoming the first club to win back-to-back league and FA Cup doubles.
Pep Guardiola’s side are overwhelming favourites to triumph in the capital this weekend and if their post-Premier League celebrations are anything to go by, they are also pretty confident of defeating their city rivals.
Those exuberant celebrations – which went on until the early hours of Monday morning – saw players and their respective wives and girlfriends come together to mark their incredible accomplishment. And many of those same better halves will be in attendance at Wembley. On the other side of the stadium will be the Red Devils WAGs, doing their best to cheer on Erik ten Hag‘s outsiders.
Ahead of the second Manchester derby FA Cup final in as many years, Mail Sports takes a look at the women who’ll be rooting for the stars out on the pitch at Wembley.
Manchester City’s captain Kyle Walker lifts the Premier League trophy with his team-mates
Jack Grealish (left) is seen grinning in his Gucci suit at The Manchester City title winning party, Kevin De Bruyne and his wife Michèle (right) held hands as they arrived
Cam Reading is engaged to Manchester United and Scotland midfielder Scott McTominay
MAN CITY
Erling Haaland and Isabel Johansen
Haaland has remained Manchester City’s goal-scoring machine in his latest season for the club – but his heart is very much in his native Norway.
He’s been dating girlfriend Isabel Haugseng Johansen since their teenage years and she now lives in Manchester with the striker.
Described as a ‘beautiful, intelligent, sociable, outdoorsy’ schoolgirl, the 19-year-old left behind her life in a quiet corner of Scandinavia to be at the side of the newest colossus of world sport.
Johansen was given a leave of absence to study remotely by Brynne Upper Secondary School in south-west Norway ahead of her boyfriend’s club scooping the Premier League title.
The move prompted Isabel’s friends to describe her as ‘the luckiest girl in Brynne’.
The 19-year-old is not only involved in football because of her partner, but is a footballer herself.
In fact, the pair are believed to have met through the sport, with Erling joining local team Bryne FK when he was just five years old.
Erling Haaland has been dating girlfriend Isabel Haugseng Johansen since their teenage years
The pair are believed to have met through the sport, with Erling joining local team Bryne FK when he was just five years old
Phil Foden and Rebecca Cooke
Foden has been on fire all season, and was named the Premier League’s Player of the Season this weekend. Phil and girlfriend Rebecca Cooke, who live in a £3.25million mansion in Prestbury, Cheshire, are believed to have met at secondary school.
The couple now have two children; Rebecca became a mother at age 18 when the couple’s son Ronnie was born. Their daughter True arrived two years later – and they have another new arrival on the way.
Phil and Rebecca, who live in a £3.25million mansion in Prestbury, Cheshire, are believed to have first met at a party when they were teenagers and have been together ever since.
Like Phil, Rebecca is also from Stockport and during her footballing beau’s career, Rebecca has largely stayed out of the limelight and keeps her social media accounts private.
Likewise, Phil has followed suit and his partner is rarely seen on his Instagram page, where he boasts a cool 11.4 million followers.
Photographers caught the moment little Ronnie Foden, 5, tried to open a champagne bottle as his father, Phil, celebrated with Manchester City teammates following their historic win on Sunday afternoon
Rebecca Cooke, the girlfriend of Phil Foden at the Champions League last year
Kevin De Bruyne Michele Lacroix
Belgian Michele has been married to her footballing beau Kevin De Bruyne for several years.
The couple tied the knot back in 2016 after the Belgium international proposed under the Eiffel Tower during a romantic trip to Paris.
And they have been together since 2014. During that time, they’ve become parents to sons Mason, seven, Rome, four, and toddler Suri.
As well as enjoying life as a wife and mother, Michele is a keen user of social media, where she boasts a considerable following.
She often documents the couple’s travels and family life on her Instagram.
Michele Lacroix is the wife of Belgian footballer Kevin De Bruyne. The couple (pictured) tied the knot in 2016 and he continues to gush about his ‘beautiful wife’ on his Instagram page, which has more than 26million fans
Jack Grealish and Sasha Attwood
Sasha Attwood is the childhood sweetheart of Jack Grealish. The Man City striker has faced injury this season and has frequently been a sub but is likely to play some part in the final match of the season.
Far from riding on her boyfriend’s coattails, Sasha enjoys her own successful career as a model, and in 2022 became a face of L’Oreal.
Despite Jack having a bit of a playboy reputation, the couple appear to enjoy a close relationship, and Sasha has previously taken to Instagram to share her affection for the athlete.
For Jack’s 27th birthday, Sasha shared a gushing tribute to the footballer, sharing a montage of loved-up images of the couple throughout their years together.
Captioning her sweet post, Sasha penned: ‘Happy birthday babe. Love you so much’. Among the images were the couple sharing a kiss as they snapped a selfie in a lift together.
Sasha Attwood is the childhood sweetheart of Manchester City winger Jack Grealish
Model WAG: Sasha Attwood was signed up as the the face of L’Oreal in 2022
Manuel Akanji and Melanie Windler
Melanie began dating Manuel Akanji in September of 2015. Around the same time, he also became a member of FC Basel. The Swiss footballer proposed on September 28 and married on June 23, 2019, on the Spanish island of Mallorca. The ceremony was attended by teammates, close friends, and family.
While Melanie Windler is an avid Instagram user, she has chosen to keep her account unseen by the public. Akanji, her husband, also has an Instagram account (@obafemi.5) and is a verified user with more than 1 million followers. Akanji’s profile provides insight into his life outside of work. Not only that, but he is also shown off his wife and child in a few photos.
Melaine Windler and Manuel Akanji have been a couple since 2015, and their love for one another has won the hearts of many. They have attended many events together, where they have been the subject of widespread admiration. Additionally, the couple have two children together.
Manuel Akanji and his wife Melanie arriving last night holding hands
Bernardo Silva and Ines Degener
Silva tied the knot with model Ines Tomaz in front of 250 guests including teammate Ruben Dias last July.
The ceremony and celebration took place on Saturday at a hilltop hotel and winery on a 120-hectare vineyard estate in the Douro Valley an hour and a half’s drive inland from the northern Portuguese city of Porto.
Silva confirmed in May 2020 he had found love again with Ines after his split from French model Alicia Verrando.
Ines went public with their relationship by posting footage on her Instagram of the footballer with his arms round her on a beach.
The playmaker responded with his own photo, showing them oozing happiness and looking tanned and relaxed at a dinner table.
The couple’s love blossomed during the coronavirus lockdown which they spent with friends in a large house near Lisbon.
Ines, whose sister Mariana represented Portugal at Miss Global 2017, posted a selfie of her showing off her engagement ring as she cuddled up to her partner when she revealed they were engaged and wrote: ‘Forever YES. My endless love.’
The happy couple welcomed the birth of their first child earlier this year. Silva told Hello magazine: ‘It’s a dream come true being a father. It’s a moment that changes your life. From that moment there is a new, most important thing in your life.
‘Greeting her when I get back home from games and training sessions is always a moment of happiness and joy, and mostly forgetting about everything else and just focusing on being happy with her.’
Bernardo Silva tied the knot with model Ines Tomaz in front of 250 guests last July
Ines went public with their relationship by posting footage on her Instagram of the footballer with his arms round her on a beach
John Stones and Olivia Naylor
John Stones and girlfriend Olivia Naylor welcomed the birth of their baby boy in 2023 after three years of dating.
The pair, who both have children from former relationships and were said to be ‘over the moon’ after learning of Olivia’s pregnancy.
Stones welcomed his first child, a daughter, with childhood sweetheart Millie Savage, who he began dating when he was just 12 years old- before a ‘devastating’ November 2018 break-up resulted in her moving out of their Cheshire mansion.
Olivia, who is a beautician specialising in eyebrows and permanent makeup, was a single mother to her son from a former relationship when she met the football ace in a nightclub.
Man City star John Stones and his girlfriend Olivia Naylor welcomed a baby boy last year
Naylor is already mum to a three-year-old son, and has been dating footballer Stones for three years
MAN UNITED
Andre Onana and Dr Melanie Kamayou
The United’s stopper’s other half has a successful career of her own as a businesswoman. According to The Sun, she is also the co-chair of Onana’s foundation.
Dr Kamayou is a qualified pharmacist and was first spotted alongside the keeper at the 2019 Ballon d’Or award ceremony when he was one of the nominees for the bets goalkeeper of the year prize.
Unfortunately, shortly afterwards, Onana was hit with a 12 month suspension from football after he tested positive for a banned substance. The keeper claimed that his wife’s medication, which he said he has mistakenly taken, was at fault.
Nevertheless, he was to serve a lengthy ban, though his time out was reduced to nine months following an appeal from his then club Ajax.
Onana rediscovered his form with Inter Milan, who helped make the Champions League final, before reuniting with Ten Hag at Old Trafford last summer.
Dr Kamayou is a qualified pharmacists and was first spotted alongside the keeper at the 2019 Ballon d’Or award ceremony
The United’s stopper’s other half has a successful career of her own as a businesswoman
Harry Maguire and Fern Hawkins
Maguire and his wife Fern have been dating since they were teenagers and met in their in hometown of Sheffield.
The couple share two daughters, Lillie Saint and Piper Rose.
It was recently revealed that Hawkins, who wed Maguire in 2022, has had a major career change and is planning target celebrities by supplying flowers for wedding and A-list events.
According to The Sun, the ventured is named after their two children.
Out and about: The Manchester United and England defender cut a casual figure in a navy Puma tracksuit while wife Fern donned an oversized brown hoodie and black sports leggings
Loved-up: The footballer and his wife officially said their vows at Crewe Registry Office in May last year and enjoyed lavish stag and hen parties in Portugal and Spain
Luke Shaw and Anouska Santos
Shaw and his long-term partner, 33, are believed to have started dated before May 2017. The couple like to keep their relationship private and are not accustomed to regularly posting updates on their activities.
Anouska has though been seen accompanying her footballer boyfriend at various Man United-related events.
The couple have two children, Reign and Storie, with another on the way after Shaw revealed that they would soon be welcoming baby number three back in December.
In June last year, Shaw and Santos threw a lavish party to celebrate the first birthday of their daughter Storie.
The event was complete with an elaborate balloon arch and matching three-tier cake. Photographs from the colourful occasion were posted on Instagram by Anouska who themed the party around her own children’s accessories brand, Treats.
Manchester United defender Luke Shaw has celebrated his daughter’s first birthday with a lavish party, complete with an elaborate balloon arch and matching three-tier cake
Aaron Wan Bissaka and April Francis
Francis is a social media star known for her relationship with Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who she met around 2019.
According to Sports Brief, as well as being an Instagram star, Francis also graduated with a degree in Chemistry and later became a model. April has worked for several fashion houses and clothing brands by promoting their products.
April Francis, girlfriend of Aaron Wan Bissaka, was among the WAGS to be seen with a Harvey Nichols goody bag after heading out for lunch at San Carlo restaurant earlier this month
Scott McTominay and Cam Reading
Reading is a director at asset management firm Fortress Capital that boasts thousands of followers on social media.
It is unknown how long she and McTominay have been together, but they did enjoy a trip to Dubai together in late 2022, jetting to the United Arab Emirates during the World Cup break.
However, it was reported earlier this year that the United midfielder s facing losing nearly £1million after investing in a collapsed company run by his fiancée’s father.
The company borrowed money from its investors before lending it out at a higher rate to corporate entities and one ‘high net worth individual’.
The 27-year-old showed no sign of those stresses as she spotted alongside several partners of United players for a a swanky meal at a top restaurant.
Cam Reading is a director at asset management firm Fortress Capital that boasts thousands of followers on social media
It is unknown how long she and United midfielder Scott McTominay have been together
Alejandro Garnacho and Eva García
The rising star was recently reunited with the mother of his son Eva García following suggestions that they had split up.
Garnacho, was one of the standout performers for the Red Devils in a challenging , went public with their 2021. Garcia gave birth to their son Enzo, who was born on October 4 last year.
In January there were rumours that Garnacho and Garcia had split after she unfollowed him on Instagram. However, there was no break up between the couple.
The pair were pictured on a romantic family holiday together in Tenerife along with Enzo.
Eva Garcia had unfollowed Alejandro Garnacho on Instagram but the pair recently went on holiday with their son Enzo
Garnacho and Garcia recently enjoyed a romantic family holiday along with their son Enzo
Garcia posted photos of her holiday on Instagram accompanied by the caption ‘miss u already Tenerife’.
Garcia, 19, was in attendance at Old Trafford earlier last season for United’s 1-1 draw against Burnley in which Garnacho, also 19, played the whole game.
The pair have also followed each other again on Instagram.
