Megan Pickford Named New Queen of the WAGS

Megan Pickford jetted to the US with a plan – to party like it's 2006 and bring back the WAG glory years.

It is, she says, her 'dream' to recreate the notorious scenes which took place in the sleepy German town of Baden-Baden 20 years ago when the likes of , and Cheryl Tweedy wore their hair big, their shorts tiny and caroused into the small hours before heading out to shop until they dropped.

But the past two decades have seen a shift from the stereotypes of old.

Today's partners and girlfriends are just as likely to have serious careers, eschew the limelight and refuse to be defined by their famous other halves.

Well... delete and rewind. After years of playing second fiddle to the other England WAGs, Megan, the blonde, permatanned, uber-glamorous wife of goalkeeper Jordan, is ready to claim her crown as Queen Bee.

'In a time when the WAGs are lawyers, or nurses or even an engineer, there's Megan. Some joke, in a kind way, that she's a bit of a throwback to the old times but it's just so refreshing,' said one insider.

'She loves it all – the outfits, the glamour and the prestigious role and column inches being a WAG brings. She is so proud of Jordan and so the least she can do is look the part to cheer him on.

'But in all seriousness, along with Kate Kane – wife of captain Harry – she is the longest- partner of the squad. This is her moment to shine, and she will.'

Megan, 30, was aged ten at the time of the 2006 World Cup. But she's clearly been doing her research because nothing screamed WAG like the outfit she wore to cheer on England during their 4-2 win against Croatia on Wednesday.

In keeping with the match's Dallas location, Megan wore a cowboy hat with a number one on the front – the same as her husband's goalkeeper shirt – a white vest and a pair of designer jeans which showed off her enviable midriff.

She finished her look with a pair of Gucci sunglasses, a necklace spelling out her daughter Ostara's name and a tiny £2,500 White Lady Dior handbag in keeping with the strict stadium rules on bag measurements.

'Megan has spent years watching Victoria Beckham, Coleen Rooney, Alex Gerrard and the like, really getting into the WAG groove,' says a source involved with the England clan.

She revealed on social media hours earlier that her suitcase had been lost in transit, although I'm told it arrived in the nick of time.

A good job, because Megan's World Cup wardrobe was months in the planning. There have been numerous shopping trips and she is said to have been meticulous in keeping to the red, white and blue Three Lions colour scheme.

The other contender for WAG Queen Bee is Kate Kane, though the two women are very different.

While Kate, 33, who opted for a dark denim dress for Wednesday night's game, , Megan is a member of the footballers' wives set in Cheshire – home to former England WAG Queen supreme, and her heroine, Coleen Rooney.

She and Jordan live in a £3million mansion with their three children, Arlo, six, Ostara, two and one-year-old Misty, which they bought when he moved to Everton in 2017 from Sunderland for a £25million transfer fee, making him the most expensive goalkeeper in British history.

Megan counts Harry Maguire's wife Fern, Jack Grealish's girlfriend Sasha Attwood and Kyle Walker's partner Annie Kilner as both neighbours and close friends.

Megan is said to 'idolise' Coleen Rooney, who met husband Wayne when they were 12.

Megan and Jordan are said to have met aged 14 and 16 respectively at the St Robert of Newminster Catholic school in their home town of Washington, between Newcastle and Sunderland.

'She has grown up looking up to the older WAGs. Now she's the boss and fully intends to boss it. She's a working-class girl who dreamt of having these times.

'She has been at Jordan's side for 15 years now and has been with him on his journey from a football-mad schoolboy to one of the best goalkeepers in the world.' I'm told that Megan was 'very much Team Coleen' in the Wagatha Christie saga. She was one of the footballer's partners pictured in the photograph which Rebekah Vardy was .

'Megan knows Coleen, and she thought it was all wrong. That it wasn't the way of the WAG,' says a friend.

Within the WAG circles she is known as being 'extremely kind with a heart of gold.' She is fun-loving and has something of a reputation for enjoying her husband's millions.

Her Instagram account reveals exquisite holidays, including one to the Amalfi Coast and another to Rome for her 30th birthday.

At Ostara's second birthday, Megan transformed her five-bedroom mansion into a fairy palace, while for Arlo's gender reveal party back in 2018 she hired the five-star Ramside Hall hotel and spa in Durham.

'Megan and Jordan don't come from much financially so they love to enjoy themselves,' says a source who knows the couple.

The Pickfords also appear to be a rock-solid couple. In January, they celebrated 15 years together, and Megan posted a series of photos on Instagram of them as teenagers.

Today, say those who know them, they remain loyal to their roots and their childhood friends.

Megan has been the strength behind Jordan, who is known for his outbursts and generally, at times, being 'bloody hard work' according to those who have played with him.

'As with so many footballers who have known their wives and partners since they were teenagers, they know each other better than anyone else.

'Jordan is a laugh but he loses his cool sometimes and Megan has to reel him back in. Unlike Mrs Kane who is married to the well-behaved captain Harry, being Mrs Pickford can be a tricky role sometimes.'

Indeed, what on earth must she have thought when she learned in December 2024 that Jordan had been partying with Lauryn Goodman, the mistress of his former England team mate Kyle Walker?

Reports said that Jordan was 'downing shot after shot' alongside Lauryn in Mayfair nightclub Bagatelle until the early hours with a group of friends.

Bosses at Everton were furious the story was revealed in a red-top newspaper and briefed that Jordan had insisted on security moving Lauryn away from him.

It is still likely to have enraged Megan, who is close friends with Kyle's wife Annie Kilner.

'Jordan loves a good time,' says an insider. 'He loves to go out, he's great fun. Megan is always there for him when he gets home.'

While the World Cup is on, Megan has to make do with a quick kiss and cuddle in the stands (along with a selfie) after the matches, as the WAGs are staying in Miami, 1,000 miles from the Kansas-based England team.

Which, of course, gives her plenty of time to plan her next outfit.