Fans were delighted when football legend Cristiano Ronaldo signed for Manchester United over the summer. And his transfer has meant that his partner, Georgina Rodriguez, and their family have moved from Turin, Italy, to start a new life in Cheshire.
The couple – worth £300m – moved into a £6m mansion in Alderley Edge with their daughter Alana, two, and Cristiano’s three children from previous relationships, Cristiano Jr, 10, and twins Eva and Mateo, three. They have reportedly now moved to another property nearby due to privacy and noise issues.
The arrival of Georgina, 27, will have no doubt excited the local WAG circle, including Real Housewives Of Cheshire stars Tanya Bardsley – married to Phil Bardsley, who plays for Burnley – and Dawn Ward, married to former Manchester United player, Ashley Ward.
But sources tell Closer that the WAGs have been left disappointed as the family have kept to themselves and are preferring a quiet life rather than one in the spotlight.
The source says, “The wives and girlfriends of the City and United players are very close knit. Since Georgina arrived in Cheshire, the WAGs have invited her to lots of events and are ready to welcome her with open arms. She’s the richest and most high-profile WAG in the world so she’d be a great addition to their circle.
“But being part of the WAG set isn’t Georgina’s style and it never has been. If she does go out for a meal, it’ll be with Cristiano and the children, not at a fancy bar with girlfriends. Most of the time, she prefers Netflix and a takeaway to being in a posh restaurant. If she goes to a match, she normally keeps to herself, just focuses on watching Cristiano play, and meets up with him after.”
Check out: from Cheryl to Coleen Rooney - where are the 2006 WAGS now?
The UK Wags - where are they now? - slider
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1 of 9Victoria Beckham
One half of the indestructible Beckham brand, Victoria was the original Queen WAG in 2006. At the time Victoria had been married to David for seven years and had just given birth to her third boy, Cruz. She had also just launched her denim line, dvb Style and walked the catwalk for Roberto Cavalli. Over a decade later, she is a fully fledged and well respected fashion designer, with a fourth addition to her brood – the adorable Harper.
2 of 9Coleen Rooney
Coleen rose to fame as a WAG at just 20 years old. Coleen and Wayne are married and they celebrated their ten-year anniversary in 2018. However, Wayne's repeated cheating has strained the relationship over the years. They have four children together, Kai, Klay, Kit and Cass. Since 2006 Coleen has released a fitness DVD, been a style advisor for Littlewoods and even had a column with us in Closer magazine.
3 of 9Cheryl
How could we forget Cheryl as a WAG? Back then, 23-year-old Cheryl was a popstar in Girls Aloud who had just married Ashley Cole. Nowadays, Cheryl is a household name and a worldwide celebrity in her own right. After splitting from Ashley in 2010, she had a successful (well, successful-ish) solo career, was a judge on The X Factor and was the face of beauty brand L'Oreal. She married Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini in 2016 but they divorced three months later. Most recently, Cheryl separated from One Direction singer, Liam Payne, who she has a baby son called Bearwith.
4 of 9Abbey Clancy
Abbey first grabbed our attention in 2006 as one of the finalists in Britain's Next Top Model. She began dating Peter Crouch that same year and the pair are now married with three kids Sophia Ruby, Liberty Rose and baby Johnny. Lingerie model Abbey went on to win Strictly Come Dancing in 2013 and she returned to Britain's Next Top Model as the show's presenter. Not bad work, eh?
5 of 9Danielle Lloyd
Danielle Lloyd was dating footballer Teddy Sheringham when she gained her WAG status. At the time, her title as Miss Great Britain was a controversial matter and she was later stripped of it. Fast forward to now and Danielle has appeared on TV shows such as Celebrity Big Brother, Total Wipeout, The Weakest Link and even Come Dine With Me. She has three sons, Archie, Harry and George with her now ex-husband Jamie O'Hara. Danielle gave birth to a fourth child with her husband Michael O'Neill, Ronnie, in 2017.
6 of 9Elen Rivas
Elen Rivas was engaged to Frank Lampard at the time of the 2006 World Cup, and was a permanent fixture in the WAG circle. After splitting from Frank after a seven-year relationship, she dated Peter Andre, appeared on Dancing On Ice and now looks after her two daughters Luna and Isla while working as a model. Frank has since married TV presenter Christine Bleakley and they've welcomed their daughter Patricia into the world.
7 of 9Louise Owen
Despite being married to one of the most famous footballers at the time, Louise Owen wasn't your stereotype WAG. She has always managed to keep her distance from the limelight. Her passion is rescuing race horses and she currently lives in Wales with her husband Michael and their four children, Gemma, James, Jessica and Emily.
8 of 9Carly Zucker
Now known as Carly Cole after marrying midfielder Joe Cole in Chelsea in 2009, Carly loved to party during the 2006 World Cup (we know the feeling). She then spent two weeks in the jungle during I'm A Celeb in 2009 before being the third to be booted out. Carly and Joe have had three children, Ruby, Harrison and Max together.
9 of 9Alex Curran
Former nail technician Alex Curran began dating Liverpool player Steven Gerrard in 2002. She was one of the leading figures in the 2006 WAG squad. The pair married in 2007 and they have had four children together, Lexie, Lio, Lord, Lilly-Ella. Fashion lover Alex has released a perfume, fronted a Lipsy campaign and written a weekly shopping column for a national newspaper.
Georgina’s lifestyle now is a world away from her childhood, having grown up in a working-class family in the small village of Jaca in Spain. She left home at 15, earning just £250 a week as a shop worker while sharing a cramped house with five people.
After learning English in Spain, she moved to the UK to work as an au pair in Bristol, earning £9.50 an hour. She then moved back to Madrid and became a sales assistant at Gucci. In 2016, she met Cristiano, 36, when he walked into the shop.
She said of their meeting, “Our first meeting was at Gucci... Days later, we saw each other again at another brand’s event. It was then that we could talk in a relaxed atmosphere, outside my work environment. It was love at first sight for both.”
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But despite dating a multi-millionaire, Georgina has said she’s keen to stay grounded and be financially stable in her own right. While Cristiano played for Italian team Juventus, she did a financial accounting course, saying she wanted a career. She said, “I loved earning money for myself and never let myself be helped. If I can buy something not too expensive, I do. If I can’t wear Chanel, I buy Zara.”
And sources say that ITV was keen to snap Georgina up for hit show Real Housewives Of Cheshire – but she isn’t interested in a life in the spotlight.
The source adds, “Georgina would be perfect for Real Housewives – she has an amazing lifestyle, is beautiful and has a fascinating rags-to-riches story. But she’s not interested. She likes keeping a low profile and staying true to herself, and doesn’t want to be a reality star.”