For decades, footballers’ Wags have merely been arm candy for their superstar husbands. His job was to make the millions, and her job was to spend it.
But times have changed and the hierarchy has collapsed.
Rather than goals, transfers and matchday bonuses driving attention, a quick scroll on social media shows the women are now the ones dominating the headlines with their influencer-style ‘get ready with me’ videos filmed in Cheshire kitchens, pitch-side outfits and carefully curated brand partnerships.
Some are even building businesses that rival – and even occasionally surpass – their partners’ salaries.
In a world where eyeballs are currency, the Wag with the most Instagram followers, ad campaigns and reality TV exposure wins the day.
So whether it’s England star Ollie Watkins’s wife Ellie flaunting luxury make-up brands or Jack Grealish’s girlfriend Sasha Attwood plotting a YouTube comeback, the real power often sits off the pitch.
Here’s my definitive list of football’s new elite Wags…
Dani Dyer, 29 (3.7 million followers) and Jarrod Bowen, 29 (480,000 followers)
No one could deny that West Ham and England forward Jarrod Bowen has a healthy salary – he earns £150,000 a week. His wealth is equaled by his wife’s, however.
Dani Dyer has an estimated net worth of £7.1million and is the daughter of EastEnders icon Danny. She has forged her own career and boosted her profile on Love Island – which she won with Jack Fincham – before going on to work with brands including Currys, Dove and Surf.
She also hosts a podcast with her father and recently launched her own YouTube channel.
Dani Dyer has an estimated net worth of £7.1million – equaling that of her husband’s, West Ham and England star Jarrod Bowen
Dani and Jarrod married in May 2025 after having twin daughters Summer and Star in 2023. Dani also shares son Santiago from a previous relationship.
Being a huge West Ham fan himself, EastEnders’ Danny gave Jarrod an easy seal of approval, even claiming he’s ‘in love with him’.
Dani was due to appear on the latest series of Strictly Come Dancing – a move that would have turned her into a bona fide celebrity – but she was forced to withdraw after fracturing her ankle.
Given her connections, however, it seems likely she will go from strength to strength.
Ellie Watkins, 29 (75,000 Instagram followers), and Ollie Watkins, 30 (one million Instagram followers)
Ollie Watkins earns a reported £130,000 a week at Aston Villa. But his wife, Ellie, is quietly carving out a lucrative career of her own.
After rebranding herself as an influencer in the past year, Ellie has leaned heavily into beauty and lifestyle content.
One recent make-up video saw her featuring eight brands in one post, including Charlotte Tilbury and Armani, while her TikTok features celebrity-backed brands such as Victoria Beckham Beauty and Patrick Ta Beauty.
Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins pictured with his wife, Ellie – who has worked with Charlotte Tilbury and Armani
On Instagram, she posts footage from luxury trips, life at home with her family and polished ‘outfits of the day,’ regularly wearing high-end clothing.
Via commission platform Like To Know It, she leaves links to the items she wears, meaning every time a follower buys something she’s wearing, she quietly makes cash.
Sources tell me that Ollie is widely regarded as one of the most professional, drama-free players in the League – a huge draw for brands. That stability clearly rubs off on Ellie, who fits perfectly into the ‘wholesome but aspirational’ football family aesthetic.
And her friendship with Wag influencer queen Hattie Bourn places her directly inside an established network, giving her access to agents, brand contacts and campaign intel most wouldn’t have.
Sasha Attwood, 28 (300,000 followers) and Jack Grealish, 30 (8.4 million followers)
Jack Grealish, now earning £225,000 a week and playing for Everton, once dominated headlines both on and off the pitch – not least because of his shapely legs that make the girls swoon.
But following his loan move from Manchester City and falling out of England contention, his spotlight has dimmed… and that may be working well for his girlfriend.
Sasha Attwood, who is signed to Melbourne-based fashion agency KAHE Studio and who has dated Jack since their school days, keeps her boyfriend largely off her social media, instead presenting herself as a standalone ‘beauty girl’.
Sasha Attwood is signed to Melbourne-based fashion agency KAHE Studio and has dated Jack Grealish since their school days
Her feed is filled with fashion, make-up, cooking and motherhood – she has a one-year-old, Mila Rose, with Jack – in her quiet Cheshire life. She has secured brand deals with Vaseline, Space NK and L’Oreal Paris, and was recently spotted at the British Fashion Awards.
Insiders have pointed out Sasha’s decision not to rely on Jack for engagement is strategic and that brands value influencers who don’t depend on their partner’s fame.
Insiders tell me she is planning to revive her YouTube channel this year. With 46,000 subscribers, it was long-form vlogging, documenting holidays, events and daily life that originally launched her influencing career seven years ago.
Many suggest Grealish’s low-key era may let her shine in this new chapter.
Britney De Villiers, 25 (270,000 Instagram followers, 600,000 TikTok followers) and Morgan Gibbs White, 25 (408,000 followers)
Nottingham Forest midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White earns £150,000 a week at Nottingham Forest, but it’s his fiancee Britney De Villiers who dominates the digital space.
Britney boasts more than double Morgan’s followers across all social media platforms, which is notable in football circles and flips the traditional Wag dynamic.
Signed to creative agency The Blogger Agent, South African-born Britney is deeply embedded in influencer culture. She’s friends with Molly-Mae Hague, regularly wearing her friend’s clothing line Maebe.
Britney De Villiers boasts deals with make-up brands Huda Beauty and e.l.f. Cosmetics as well as lingerie outlet Boux Avenue
She has also signed deals with make-up brands Huda Beauty and e.l.f. Cosmetics, too, and lingerie outlet Boux Avenue, putting her firmly in the top tier of UK beauty influencers.
Morgan and Britney share two sons, Greysen and Hayes, and got engaged in June.
Morgan, meanwhile, has been climbing the ranks in the Premier League and has been named in England’s squads for World Cup qualifier matches.
If he continues to perform well, it will only boost Britney’s profile further.
Naomi Genes, 31 (750,000 followers) and Derrick Williams, 32 (23,000 followers)
Naomi Genes has two thriving businesses, while Reading FC defender and boyfriend Derrick Williams earns a mere £8,000 a week.
Signed to agency IGH Talent, Naomi runs jewellery brand Neima Row and denim label Eseni, whose jeans retail for around £130. She’s worked with L’Oreal Paris, ASOS and Selfridges and counts heiress Petra Ecclestone among her close friends.
These big-brand partnerships place her beyond Instagram-only influencer status and closer to a legitimate fashion entrepreneur.
Naomi Genes is married to Championship player Derrick Williams and often posts beauty and make-up videos to her social media platforms
Four months ago, Naomi moved back to London after years abroad due to Derrick’s football career. He, meanwhile, has enjoyed a globe-spanning career, from Aston Villa to Major League Soccer in the US, and recently made his TV debut discussing the Club World Cup for TNT Sports.
Working also to her advantage, Derrick’s career gave the couple access to American brand, culture and contacts – something Naomi has quietly leveraged.
It clearly runs in the family: Naomi’s sister, Summer, is also an influencer who is married to Leicester City footballer Bobby De Cordova-Reid.
In this household, football may pay the bills, but influencing is building the empire.
Hattie Bourn, 31 (625,000 followers) and Korey Smith, 34 (59,000 followers)
Hattie Bourn is one of the UK’s most established lifestyle influencers, boasting partnerships with legacy brands including Marks & Spencer and H&M.
Her husband, Korey Smith, plays for Cambridge United. I’m told he is reportedly planning a very modern career pivot, however.
Korey has recently joined Hattie’s PR agency, Mockingbird, and is testing the waters of influencing himself. He’s already secured deals with Marks & Spencer, Compare The Market, Guinness World Records and L’Oreal Paris.
Hattie Bourn attends a Disney premiere with her husband Korey Smith and their family
With a long football career behind him and retirement on the horizon, Korey’s move reflects a wider trend: footballers recognising that a strong personal brand can rival matchday bonuses.
The couple’s industry connections run deep, too – England rugby star Joe Launchbury is married to Hattie’s influencer sister Mallory, and Hattie’s sons Otis and Marley already play in the Arsenal and Manchester United youth teams.
Korey may not be hanging up his boots just yet, but his Instagram presence is clearly warming up.
Anouska Santos, 33 (84,000 followers) and Luke Shaw, 30 (five million followers)
Manchester United and England defender Luke Shaw is one of the country’s best-known players. But despite keeping a lower profile, his partner, Anouska Santos, has a thriving online career.
In fact, Anouska’s limited social media activity is a quiet power in itself in a digital space where privacy translates as luxury.
The pair have spun themselves a web of famous friends, and their 2024 New Year’s Eve party made headlines after a then broken-up Tommy Fury and Molly-Mae Hague attended together and were pictured kissing, sparking then-rumours that they were rekindling their romance.
Luke Shaw’s partner Anouska Santos dons an England shirt as she watches his national team play in the 2024 Euros
Indeed, Anouska is a close friend of Molly-Mae and her loungewear company, Treats Studios, shares its Cheshire offices with the Love Island star’s companies Maebe and self-tan line Filter.
Anouska and Luke share three children, daughters Lumie and Storie and son Reign, but keep their family life low-key.
Luke, who has now played under eight managers at Manchester United, has personal brand deals with yoga firm Alo while his own social media presence continues to generate just as much interest as his footballing future.
Taylor Ward, 28 (three million followers) and Riyad Mahrez, 34 (13 million followers)
Riyad Mahrez now earns a staggering £850,000 a week at Saudi club Al Ahli. And behind the scenes his wife, Taylor Ward, has boosted her own profile after appearing on Amazon’s Married To The Game series, following the everyday lives of Wags.
Riyad Mahrez and Taylor Ward celebrate Manchester City’s Champions League triumph in 2023
The programme captured their wedding and whirlwind move to Saudi Arabia – a decision Taylor later admitted left her ‘overwhelmed’.
Signed to Manchester-based agency The Social PR, Taylor has worked with Amazon, hair-care brand GHD and Alo – and stardom clearly runs in the family, too, as she is the daughter of Real Housewives Of Cheshire star Dawn Ward.
Riyad and Taylor share two children together, while the Algerian playmaker also has daughters from his previous marriage.
But Taylor hasn’t shied away from sharing the struggles of being married to a footballer with her followers. Speaking about Riyad’s move away from Manchester City, she said: ‘That whole week was just an emotional rollercoaster really. It was a huge shock, and I had absolutely no idea.
‘One day we were planning for Riyad to go back to pre-season with City, and then overnight we were moving to Saudi and I was planning this whole move.’
