Copy linkFacebookXPinterestEmailShare this article 0Join the conversationFollow usAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleNewsletterSubscribe to our newsletterEnglands 2006 World Cup campaign in Germany was not short on subplots.From the lofty pre-tournament expectations placed on the so-called Golden Generation to Wayne Rooneys recovery from a metatarsal injury, the competition would ultimately end in another quarter-final exit, again on spot kicks.But away from the pitch, a new phenomenon was born, as the word WAG entered the nations collective consciousness.Joe Cole on the media and their WAG obessionEngland were based in Baden-Baden for the tournament and as the squad settled into life at their base, the red-top medias focus seemed to shift away from what was happening on the pitch and towards the activities of the squads wives and girlfriends.As Joe Cole and Ashley Cole look back two decades on, the pair of former England team-mates believe that the squad themselves were unaffected by the growing media clamour. You may like Theres going to be a moment where England are under the cosh to win the World Cup, someone is going to have to take the game by the scruff of the neck Joe Cole on what England need to do to win the World Cup Fabio Capello stopped us from going swimming with sharks. I was fuming! Joe Cole on the England squads boredom at the 2010 World Cup The 2002 World Cup was the first time I was around big names. It made me understand I was capable of playing with top players and at major tournaments Ashley Cole on Englands 2002 rollercoaster tournament It was irrelevant to the players, Joe tells FourFourTwo. It gets talked about a lot. The girls were just doing what theyd usually do, having a nice time with the families. Theyd go out for dinner, but the press made it what it was.Other members of that squad have suggested that the situation became a distraction, but Joe did not experience it in that way.Get FourFourTwo NewsletterThe best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.It didnt bother me one bit, he adds. Ive heard other players say it was a distraction, I was just happy that all of my family were having a great time, and so they should have been, because they were on a journey with you.For Ashley Cole, it was the logistical set-up that was the cause of any issues.Maybe the press shouldnt have been in their hotel, he argues. It wasnt the fault of the press, whoever arranged it shouldnt have put both in the same hotel. What to read next Emile Heskey exclusive: How players will switch off from social media at the World Cup We lost a lot of shootouts from 1990 and it became a thing. You have to credit Jordan Pickford and the boys theyve turned that round Joe Cole on how England ended their penalty hoodoo Thierry Henry reflects on losing the 2006 Champions League and World Cup finals Joe agrees that these circumstances made it easy for stories to emerge: Theyd be listening to get stories, he says, with Ashley also chipping in: Yeah, it was crazyFormer West Ham and Liverpool star Joe adds that the media landscape of the mid-2000s played a huge role in fuelling the WAG culture.Social media has changed things now back then, the media needed to be fed with pictures of the girls going for a run or something like that, and it was going on the front page, he continues. I find it incredible that people are interested in that celebrity world. I just think its mental, but it sells, doesnt it?Could It Be Coming Home? with Joe Cole and Ashley Cole is brought to you by Carling, official sponsor of the Emirates FA Cup and Adobe Womens FA Cup. Watch the show on YouTube and Spotify, or listen to it wherever you get your podcastsTOPICSEnglandWorld CupJoe MewisSocial Links NavigationFor more than a decade, Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor. Mewis has had stints at Mirror Football and LeedsLive among others and worked at FourFourTwo throughout Euro 2024, reporting on the tournament. In addition to his journalist work, Mewis is also the author of four football history books that include times on Leeds United and the England national team. Now working as a digital marketing coordinator at Harrogate Town, too, Mewis counts some of his best career moments as being in the iconic Spygate press conference under Marcelo Bielsa and seeing his beloved Leeds lift the Championship trophy during lockdown.With contributions fromChris FlanaganSenior Staff Writer
