Meet the SWAGs! The glamorous partners of the Switzerland stars preparing to face England in today's Euro 2024 quarter-final
- Switzerland and England will face off at the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Dusseldorf
They may be one of the surprise packages of the tournament so far, but there will be a few familiar faces when England meet Switzerland in their Euro 2024 quarter-final today.
The Swiss boast a double Premier League winner in Manchester City defender Manuel Akanji, 28 - a maths genius who could face three of his clubmates on Saturday: Phil Foden, John Stones and Kyle Walker, 34.
Akanji’s partner at the back, Fabian Schar, is a regular for Newcastle United - whose players Kieran Tripper, 33, and Anthony Gordon could also figure for England.
And a sense of kinship also extends to the Wags, with 32-year-old Schar’s girlfriend Alexander Munger and Trippier’s wife Charlotte following each other on Instagram.
German law graduate Alina Sommer, wife to Switzerland’s goalkeeper, Yann Sommer will be among the glamorous wags supporting the team in the EURO 2024 clash
The stylish wife of former Arsenal captain Granit Xhaka - Leonita Xhaka - will also be in the stands supporting
Manuel Akanji's (pictured) girlfriend Alexander Munger leads a roll-call of Swiss Wags, or ‘Swags’
The two Wags may currently enjoy a more cordial relationship than Mrs Trippier and her husband, after the mother-of-three set tongues wagging with a cryptic Instagram post.
The social media post apparently aimed at the 33-year-old full back read: ‘Sooner or later you get over the s*** you swore you’d never get over and it’s the best feeling in the world.’
It then emerged that Mrs Trippier, who has not attended any of England’s Euro 2024 matches so far, had unfollowed her husband on the social network.
Ms Munger leads a roll-call of Swiss Wags, or ‘Swags’, who include Akanji’s interior designer wife, Melanie, 28, who follows 30-year-old Stones’ partner Olivia Naylor, a 34-year-old former beautician, on Instagram.
Both women were seen with their partners celebrating Manchester City’s record fourth Premier League title in a row at a Greek restaurant in the city in May.
Akanji was dubbed a human calculator two years ago after a Sky Sports interview went viral in which he gave quickfire answers to a series of multiplication questions.
The player has credited his mathematical prowess to an old teacher who arranged maths competitions which he invariably won, proving good motivation to continue his studies.
His older sister, Sarah, co-founded and played for FC Winterthur’s women’s team before successfully standing for election to Zurich’s Cantonal Council in 2019.
As England fans began flooding in to Dusseldorf yesterday, tournament organiser UEFA confirmed talisman Jude Bellingham, 21, was free to play after handing him a one-match suspended ban and fine for a crotch-grabbing gesture he made towards the Slovakian bench in the last-16 win.
Sales exec Dec Evans, 33, of Blackburn said it was a ‘joke’ that the governing body had even considered a fine for the goal celebration after Bellingham’s 95th-minute bicycle kick rescued the last-16 match against Slovakia.
Granit Xhaka and his wife Leonita Lekaj are pictured inside the photo booth prior to The Best FIFA Football Awards in 2017
The pair lovingly posed up together as Leonita dons a chich sparkly deep rep jumpsuit
Granit Xhaka of Switzerland controlling the ball during the UEFA EURO 2024 against Italy last Saturday
At a neighbouring bar, Scott Evans, a 29-year-old construction manager from Bexley Kent, was on his stag do with 18 friends and relatives - dressed in a yellow and pink lederhosen outfit.
The trip was booked last November in the hope that England would win their group and clear the round-of-16, leaving them with a Saturday evening quarter-final in Dusseldorf.
Unknown to the groom, each member of the group - which also includes his brother Daniel, 31, and father Paul, 58 - applied for four tickets for the match. Two of those applications were successful - meaning eight of the stag party will be at the match, including Mr Evans, who will be told the good news this morning.
Mr Evans, who has spent the last 18-months overseeing a refurbishment project at the German Embassy in London and marries bride Hayley, 28, on July 18, and backed England to ‘go all the way’ in the tournament.
He added: ‘We have got to believe we can do it - that’s why all these fans have come out here.
‘The dream is to play Germany in the final and do them on their own ground.’ Mr Evans Senior said
‘It’s going to be an amazing day - what a better way to celebrate a stag do?’
Andy Wilde, 61, from Dronfield, Sheffield, was part of a group from Dronfield, near Sheffield, who had travelled to Dusseldorf via Cologne, and will spend a few days in the Netherlands before returning to Dortmund for Wednesday night’s semi-final match.
He joked: ‘We could have had two weeks in Mauritius for what this is costing us, but it’s all worth it. We’re confident of victory tonight.’
He said the group were all friends who socialise together in pubs such as the Nailmakers Arms, reputed to be the oldest pub in Sheffield.
The Swiss ranks also include jewellery-firm owner Celine Widmer, long-term girlfriend of right back Silvan Widmer
Switzerland's midfielder Ruben Vargas (right) celebrated with teammates after scoring his team's second goal against Italy on June 29
Droves of Swiss crowds cheers for their team as they faced off against Italy last weekend (pictured)
Other Swags include glamorous Leonita Xhaka, wife of former Arsenal captain Granit Xhaka.
The model and influencer has over 225,000 followers on Instagram but was forced to make the account private in 2019 after receiving death threats when her husband angrily reacted to jeering fans and threw his shirt to the ground after being substituted in a match at Crystal Palace.
The Swiss ranks also include jewellery-firm owner Celine Widmer, long-term girlfriend of right back Silvan Widmer, both 31, podcaster Selin Bey, 24, the partner of centre back Cédric Zesiger, 26.
As well as German law graduate Alina Sommer, wife to Switzerland’s goalkeeper, Yann Sommer, and Kristina “Kiki”, wife of 32-year-old midfielder Remo Freuler, who has spoken in the past of being torn between her Serbian roots and Swiss life.
‘My heart beats for both nations because I was born in Switzerland and my boyfriend plays for the national team, but I never forget where I come from,’ she said.
