Soccer’s power couple the way Posh & Becks used to be. Spanish defender Gerard Pique has a World Cup and three Champions League crowns, while Colombian singer Shakira has sold over 70 million albums. They were born exactly 10 years apart (yes, the 36-year-old Shakira is a cougar) and have a 1-year-old son, Milan. Pique met Shakira when she was filming her 2010 World Cup song “Waka Waka,” and starred in her video for this World Cup, “La, La, La.”
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Is the 22-year-old Brazil striker Neymar dating the 18-year-old soap actress Bruna Marquezine? It’s complicated. They split up during his rocky Barcelona season, and Neymar reportedly started seeing 20-year-old model Gabriella Lenzi, but Marquezine came to watch Neymar & Co. practice and was spotted kissing him afterward.
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It takes a lot to draw the spotlight from Cristiano Ronaldo, who has a rock-star persona and very healthy self-image. But the Portuguese winger’s Russian supermodel girlfriend Irina Shayk does that, and likely will be the most famous WAG at the World Cup. Shayk – who burst onto the scene after starring in Kanye West’s “Power” video four years ago – recently posed with CR7 for the cover of Spanish Vogue.
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Lionel Messi met his wife, Antonella Rocuzzo, when they were growing up together in the Argentine town of Rosario. They started dating in 2008, had their first child four years later, and next month hope to get their first World Cup.
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Enigmatic Italian forward Mario Balotelli is always good for drama, so Fanny Neguesha is perfect for him. With her racy Instagram shots and wild ways, she might be the one to tame Super Mario’s heart. The couple was engaged to marry this week.
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Bosnian actress and model Amra Silajdzic speaks her native tongue as well as French and English. That’s helpful, because her quiet, retiring boyfriend, Edin Dzeko of Bosnia-Herzegovina, would just as soon avoid off-the-field headlines in all three languages.
Instagram.com/amra_silajdzic
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If talented Chile advances from tough Group B, Laia Grassi – an art director and designer – will cut a pretty picture in the stands rooting for Alexis Sanchez.
Instagram.com/laiyls
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Sarah Brandner drew plenty of eyes in the stands at the European Championships two years ago. Now the 5-foot-11 model, whose beach trips with Germany’s Bastian Schweinsteiger are a paparazzi favorite, will be seen by many more.
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US striker Clint Dempsey’s wife, Bethany, has brains to go with her beauty. She holds a master’s degree and has interned in the field of educational psychology. Bethany – a mother of two – posed in body paint on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s special World Cup wives edition four years ago.
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Jaydy Michel, a Mexican model, presided over the “Football and Heart” gala run by husband Rafa Marquez’s foundation. It raises money for needy kids in Mexico.
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Ann-Kathrin Brommel is a blogger, model and singer, making a name for herself with shoots in FHM while she sings under the name Trina B. She’s dating German star Mario Gotze.
Splash News; Twitter.com/AnnKathrin_Br; Facebook.com/annkathrin.broemmel.39
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Karina Tejeda, a singer known as La Princesita, hooked up with Argentina’s Sergio Aguero after he separated from his wife, Giannina, the youngest daughter of soccer legend Diego Maradona. According to the Daily Mail, they met at a concert ironically arranged by Giannina.
Twitter.com/kari_prince; Splash News
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Lebanese beauty Daniella Semaan was married to millionaire impresario Elie Taktouk, but left him after he opened a newspaper in June 2011 to see pictures of her kissing Cesc Fabregas. Daniella – 13 years older than the Spain midfielder – gave birth to their daughter, Lia, last year and is known to friends as Queen DD. We think you can figure out why.
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Sara Carbonero was once voted the world’s sexiest journalist. The TV presenter was accused of distracting boyfriend Iker Casillas in Spain’s 1-0 group stage loss to Switzerland in the last World Cup by filming around the goalmouth. It’s not hard to see why.
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2006 Miss Germany Sarah Jones (nee Gerth) is a devoted family woman, with five kids. United States midfielder Jermaine Jones had not spoken to his father in more than 20 years, until Sarah tracked him down and arranged for a surprise phone call.
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Mexico star Giovani Dos Santos proposed to Alexia Imaz during a trip to New York this past winter.
Twitter.com/AlexiaImaz
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Edurne García Almagro, a pop star who goes by Edurne, has topped the charts and played Sandy in a Spanish stage version of the musical “Grease.” Boyfriend David De Gea is Spain’s third-string goalie.
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