‘Sven-Göran Eriksson and I are responsible for the birth of the 2006 Baden-Baden WAGs, we created a masterplan to make them even more famous than the footballers’
As a lifestyle expert who has had the privilege of living through some extraordinary moments in sports history, I cannot help but feel a profound sense of loss at the passing of Sven-Göran Eriksson. My heart goes out to his family and friends during this difficult time.
Oh, my heart aches with the news of Sven-Göran Eriksson’s departure. His kindness was truly exceptional, and I can’t help but feel indebted to him.
On Monday, the previous England soccer team manager passed away at the age of 76, encompassed by his loved ones, following a terminal battle with pancreatic cancer.
Apart from being a phenomenal manager, he was indeed someone very special – especially to me.
22 years back, it was the year 2006, and there was a palpable buzz in the atmosphere, as the World Cup was about to take place in Germany.
In your team, you boasted stars such as David Beckham and an energetic, promising talent named Wayne Rooney, who exhibited the flair of an emerging Pelé.
As a lifestyle connoisseur, I’ve noticed a surge of global curiosity not just about the England football team, but particularly the remarkable women who stand beside them – their partners.
The excitement was something I had not seen before or ever felt before with an England team and the icing on the cake was we had Sven as our new England manager.
In my account, I recall David Beckham being wed to Victoria Adams, popularly known as Posh Spice, Ashley Cole tying the knot with Girls Aloud member Cheryl Tweedy, and Wayne Rooney remaining loyal to his childhood sweetheart Coleen McLoughlin. Last but not least, the captivating Nancy Dell’Olio was by Sven-Goran Eriksson’s side.
It was as if I could catch a whiff of it. These girls seemed destined to attract quite the attention, possibly for commercial reasons. I had a strong feeling that this World Cup would play out uniquely.
My buddy, a long-time realtor for numerous soccer players, mentioned he was planning to see Sven. I pleaded with him to pass my phone number on to Sven since I had an interesting concept.
They looked worried and thought “oh no not another mad Lizzie idea”.
The following day, it was Sven himself who phoned me, an unexpected surprise as I hadn’t anticipated his call so soon or at all.
I wasn’t prepared but I did what I do best and just shot from my hip.
I said to him: “I think the footballers’ wives are going to be a huge hit at the World Cup
“Your team features some star players. I think their interviews would generate excellent media coverage, especially during the World Cup. I’d be thrilled to talk with them for feature articles.”
For several moments, there was an uncomfortable silence that seemed to last forever. However, eventually, Sven commented, “I believe this idea could be exceptional since all the footballers’ spouses and partners are involved, and we should focus more on them as well in our coverage.”
I told him, “Really? Aren’t you concerned it might cause a distraction?” To which Sven responded, “Absolutely not! On the contrary, it will serve as a diversion. The spotlight will be on them instead of my team, so go ahead and make it happen.”
It’s clear that Sven anticipated the nature of the press and, in fact, he orchestrated this as part of a clever strategy.
I contacted ITV and booked my ticket to Baden Baden… the rest is history.
The WAGs were born.
Little did Sven and myself know what a phenomenon the WAGs would be.
I had never seen anything like it in my life. It was like the Beatles had come to town.
The focus wasn’t primarily on the players or the events on the field; instead, it was on the wives and girlfriends (WAGs), their fashion choices, the brands they represented, their activities, and even the drinks they were sipping – there was a great deal of excitement and chaos.
1. No amount of preparation could have anticipated the level of interest their actions generated. Later, when I encountered Sven, I genuinely apologized to him, explaining that I hadn’t foreseen how wildly the sports newspapers would react to the football players’ wives.
He gazed at me, his eye gleaming with delight, and whispered with a smile, “Indeed, it was remarkable.”
Following that World Cup, numerous female players went on to achieve significant success and gained widespread recognition, regardless of their feelings towards the term WAG (Wives and Girlfriends of Footballers).
They got huge brand deals, big TV shows and glossy magazine deals.
For me, I went on to work with ITV, do many huge shows even one even called WAGs world.
Some may laugh but it made me a living and I loved it. Sven made it happen.
Unlike many other England managers, he thought outside the box and he was a true maverick.
Most of all, he was a gentlemen and I will remember him as that genuine lovely guy
I’m forget grateful.
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2024-08-27 18:11