Unearthing a Boozy Night: England's 2006 WAGs Revelry Surfaces 20 Years Later

A receipt from a boozy night out by the England 'WAGs' (wives and girlfriends) on the eve of the 2006 World Cup in Germany has resurfaced two decades later, detailing a significant expenditure on champagne and spirits.

The receipt, discovered by a former waitress named Leslie while clearing out her loft, dates back to June 9, 2006, the night before England's opening match against Paraguay. It shows a bill of €643.50, which, adjusted for inflation, equates to approximately €1,000 (£846.50) today. The tab was incurred by Coleen Rooney (then McLoughlin), Alex Gerrard, and David Beckham's sister, Joanne.

Their night at the Garibaldi's bar in the spa town of Baden-Baden included seven bottles of Moët & Chandon champagne, nine vodka Red Bulls, six pilsners, and 12 shots of various spirits, including Bacardi, sambuca, and tequila. The spirits alone cost €72 at the time.

Baden-Baden became a focal point for media attention during the 2006 tournament, with the WAGs' social activities often overshadowing the team's performance. The Daily Mail's Chief Sport's Writer Oliver Holt described the situation at the Brenners Park Hotel, where many of the players' families stayed, as a "bizarre and accidental social experiment."

The WAG phenomenon was amplified by the media frenzy that followed them throughout the tournament. Their activities, including extensive shopping sprees, were widely reported, with German tabloids estimating one spree to have cost €80,000 (£69,310).

Former England players have reflected on the distractions the WAG culture presented. Frank Lampard stated in 2024 that the situation "could have been dealt with better," and that the media "just lapped it up" which took away from the team's preparation. Rio Ferdinand, in 2008, described the squad as becoming "a bit of a circus" due to the WAG situation, where "football almost became a secondary element to the main event."

England's campaign in the 2006 World Cup ultimately ended in a quarter-final exit, losing to Portugal on penalties. The intense focus on the WAGs and their activities became a defining, albeit controversial, aspect of England's participation in that tournament, a stark contrast to the more subdued presence of partners in subsequent tournaments.