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The Greatest Love Stories of the World Cup

Ronaldo, Figo, Shevchenko, Rooney, Kovac..Soccer Stars and their Love Matches

Ozren Podnar reports...

Members of both groups are young, sexy, popular, occupying a similarly high position in the entertainment world's pecking order, sharing similar educational profiles and spiritual values. In one another they indeed find their most suitable partners.

David and Victoria

David was a major star before he met Victoria, but he would hardly have become the golden boy of soccer without Posh Spice's deft touch. It was her very presence plus her influence on his image that converted him from a supremely popular player to a social, and business, phenomenon. He may have been a little unfaithful to her over the past few years, but it would take much more than that to undermine this match made in heaven both for soccer and show-biz industries.

Victoria Beckham
Born: April 17, 1974 (Goff's Oak)
Profession: fashion and image advisor, ex-singer
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David Beckham
Born: May 2, 1975 (Leytonstone)
Teams: England/Real Madrid
Position: Right midfielder

Luis and Helen

Nowadays they do not go out very often, but one night out proved crucial for this Swedish model and the Portuguese winger. They met in a flamenco bar in Barcelona back in 1996, when Figo was a star at the Catalonian club. Three years later, they were blessed with their first of three daughters, Daniela. Martina and Stella were born after their marriage in 2001. Even though Luis is often away, she claims he is a wonderful father and husband.

Helen Svedin
Born: October 15, 1975 (Sweden)
Profession: ex-model
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Luis Figo
Born: November 4, 1972 (Lisbon)
Teams: Portugal/Internazionale
Position: right midfielder

Cristiano and Merche

Cristiano Ronaldo is a stunning winger who excels in dribbling, sometimes a bit too much. Eight years his senior, Merche (MER-tcheh) hosts a popular Portuguese morning show and a model competition in which the candidates have the chance of earning themselves a modeling contract. They have been an item since early 2006. Before her, Cristiano dated Spanish jet setter Nuria Bermudez, also slightly older than him.

Merche Romero
Born: November 27, 1976 (Andorra)
Profession: model, tv presenter
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Cristiano Ronaldo
Born: February 5, 1985 (Funchal)
Teams: Portugal/Manchester United
Position: forward

Carlos and Natalia

Another couple who seems to be doing well in spite of the girl's higher age. Natalia is an Argentinean model discovered by an Italian photographer during a family trip to Miami. Last year she was captured by the South American player of the year, Carlos "Apache" Tevez. She frequently travels to Sao Paulo, where he plays for the Brazilian champs Corinthians, to see her boy and to pose for a session or two.

Natalia Fassi
Born: August 30, 1977 (Buenos Aires)
Profession: model
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Carlos Tevez
Born: February 5, 1984 (Buenos Aires)
Teams: Argentina/Corinthians
Position: forward

Wayne and Coleen

Coleen McLoughlin
Born: April 3, 1986 (Liverpool)
Profession: celebrity
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Wayne Rooney
Born: October 24, 1985 (Liverpool)
Teams: England/Manchester Utd.
Position: forward

Coleen had to put up with the realization that Wayne used to socialize with, er, experienced escort girls when he was a kid (as if he is now anything other than kid too). But, since Rooney is very wealthy and very famous, Coleen found the courage to keep the relationship alive. Apart from doubtlessly sincere love, it would have been hard to find another boyfriend capable of funding those shopping trips to New York.

Ronaldo and Raica

Ronaldo has won many important titles and conquered many girls' hearts. Giant images of Raica, his current girlfriend, decorate the Brazilian countryside, but it's nothing new for Ronaldo, accustomed to babes in his arms. He was married with the Brazilian model-soccer player Milene Domingues, with whom he has a son, Ronald, and he also came close to marrying another fellow Brazilian, Daniela Cicarelli. His other conquests include pretty blond footballer Susana Werner, tv star Livia Lemos and Miss Spain Vania Milan. Raica has been into modeling since the age of 10 and currently is among the most sought-after Brazilian models. She is reported to have dissuaded Ronaldo from going back to Inter, because she prefers Madrid.

Raica Oliveira
Born: January 24, 1984 (Niteroi)
Profession: model
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Ronaldo Nazario Lima
Born: September 22, 1976 (Rio)
Teams: Brazil/Real Madrid

Robert and Anica

George Best had flings with a couple of Miss World winners. Robert Kovac on the other hand married the first escort to the 1995 Miss World, Croatia's Anica Martinovic. At the time, she may have been more famous than him, but things changed as Kovac went on to play with success in Leverkusen, Bayern and currently Juventus.
They both used to live in Berlin and have known each other since childhood. In December of 2001 they married and two years later they had their first child, Letizia. Sometime around the New Year of 2007 they will parent another child.

Anica Kovac
Born: March 2, 1976 (Berlin)
Profession: ex-model and beauty queen
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Robert Kovac
Born: April 6, 1974 (Berlin)
Teams: Croatia/Juventus
Position: defender

Andriy and Kristen

They met in 2001 at a party organized by Giorgio Armani, whose clothes Shevchenko usually wears away from the soccer field. An American model and athlete, Kristen used to be Silvio Berlusconi's son Pierpaolo's darling, but daddy did not mind the transfer. They married secretly on July 14th 2004 in Washington, by the Country Club golf course. In November of the same year she gave birth to their first son, Jordan, named after basketball legend Michael (not Katie Price). Two years ago she was voted the second prettiest footballer's wife in the Italian Serie A. Now she'll try to make a name for herself in the Premiership, together with Chelsea's new star Andriy.

Kristen Pazik
Born: August 11, 1978 (Minneapolis)
Profession: ex-model, swimmer
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Andriy Shevchenko
Born: September 29, 1976 (Kiev)
Teams: Ukraine/Chelsea
Position: forward

Dario and Jelena

They have been together for ten years now, after that fateful encounter in Zagreb's Saloon disco. He was already a hotshot for Dinamo Zagreb and three years later he was transferred to Inter Milan. The soccer star and the former model married in June of 2000 in Zagreb, with the former Newcastle man Silvio Maric acting as Dario's best man. Two years ago, when Simic already played for AC Milan, they had their first child, Roko, who was joined by Viktor in late 2005. The sons are hardly aware that their dad is the most capped player in Croatia's history.

Jelena Medic
Born: March 29, 1979 (Zagreb)
Profession: ex-model
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Dario Simic
Born: November 12, 1975 (Zagreb)
Teams: Croatia/Milan
Position: defender

Gianluigi and Alena

After spending her childhood in Prague's Vinohrady district, Alena Seredova (pron. SHEH-red-oh-vah) entered the fashion world aged 15 when she posed for a well-known Czech photographer, Jadran Setlik.
Work took her first to Greece and then to Italy, where she settled down and found the love of her life (so far) in Gianluigi Buffon. They have been together since the summer of 2005, when she healed his injury, that kept him out of the game for three months. At 1.92m Buffon is a good match for her, whose 1.81m discourages most men. Voted the prettiest Italian couple in 2005.

Alena Seredova
Born: March 21, 1978 (Prague)
Profession: model
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Gianluigi Buffon
Born: January 28, 1978 (Parma)
Teams: Italy/Juventus
Position: goalkeeper

Ashley and Cheryl

Ashley's fiancee has been a celebrity in her own right since her childhood, what with child modeling, ballet dancing and singing. Winning "Popstars: The Rivals" launched her to stardom together with her companions in Girls Aloud. Their relationship survived in spite of his failure to reprimand a friend who poked fun at Cheryl during Ashley's 24th birthday party. Their plans to marry on July 15 are reportedly on. This one ended in divorce, however.

Cheryl Tweedy
Born: June 30, 1983 (Newcastle)
Profession: singer, ex-ballerina
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Ashley Cole
Born: December 20, 1980 (London)
Teams: England/Arsenal
Position: defender

Bosko and Iva

If his teammate Robert Kovac can boast a Miss World runner-up Anica Martinovic as his wife, Bosko Balaban does not lag far behind: his wife Iva Radic won the Queen of Croatia pageant in 1995. They used to be friends, but a magical kiss changed everything. They were married in 2002, and after suffering two spells in usually grey Birmingham, since 2004 they have lived in Belgian Brugge, called the "Venice of the North".

Iva Balaban
Born: March 10, 1977 (Rijeka)
Profession: ex-model, beauty queen
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Bosko Balaban
Born: October 15, 1978 (Rijeka)
Teams: Croatia/Club Brugge
Position: Forward

Ozren Podnar

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