World Cup glamour provided by Victoria Beckham and Co.

By Caroline Bock Jun 22, 2006, 13:32 GMT

Berlin - Simone Lambe is the German equivalent of Victoria Beckham as far as her partner is concerned, but that's where the similarities end.

For those unfamiliar with the name - Lambe is the long-time girlfriend of Germany's best and most popular footballer, Michael Ballack.

Victoria Beckham needs no introduction, formerly knows as Posh Spice from her time with pop's Spice Girls, she achieved added fame by marrying England captain David Beckham.

The Beckhams were the front-page couple of Thursday's edition of Germany's glitzy Gala magazine - and Victoria is also making plenty of headlines in the tabloids along with the other women from the England camp in Baden-Baden.

Readers know that Beckham, Wayne Rooney's girlfriend Colleen McLoughlin and Frank Lampard's partner Elen Rives have bought plenty of sunglasses and handbags in the posh southern German spa, that they have been night-clubbing and been tough on Germans claiming that the home team will win the World Cup.

WAGs is the name of the gang, standing for Wives And Girlfriends, and they are in their very own league watched by the world's media.

'Forget what's happening on the pitch, it's the footie wives' outfits that will score the hottest points in this year's World Cup,' said The Sun.

'The fashion competition is so fierce that Posh has allegedly spent months planning her World Cup wardrobe - which includes five outfits a day!'

However, she has been lambasted for her current love of hot pants - sometimes along with boots - by the British and German media.

'Put them away for the love of God and pop on a skirt for once. Or jeans. Or a pair of dungarees and deck shoes ... Do us all a favour and give them the day off for England's next appearance on Sunday,' said The Sun.

Germany's respected Sueddeutsche Zeitung found no kind words for Mrs. Beckham in its style column, either.

'Before the days of Victoria Beckham player wives weren't aware that you can combine Versace-shoes with a Versace-dress with Versace- sunglasses. And, should it get cold, wrap a Versace-scarf around yourself as well,' said the newspaper.

The German Versace-factor is non-existent even though Bild is at least trying hard to make Germans familiar with the players' partners.

Lambe, who has three children with Ballack, is only seen and photographed at big occasions like the World Cup.

This may not even change when Ballack joins Chelsea in summer, as Arsenal and Germany goalkeeper Jens Lehmann has managed to keep his wife Conny and their three children out of the spotlight in England as well.

Verena Kerth got some publicity when goalkeeper Oliver Kahn left his wife and children for her, but that attention soon died down.

Unlike the WAGs, the German woman show up in the stadium not as a fashion statement but rather in team shirts. And, according to Petra Frings, the wive of midfielder Torsten Frings, they don't like the phrase WAG in the first place.

'I don't like the word because everyone associates it with a dumb blonde. But we are not like that. We are the wives of men who happen to play football. That's all,' said Frau Frings.

Just like at the World Cup, the closest Germany normally gets to football glamour is imported - Sylvie van der Vaart, the ex-MTV DJ who is married to SV Hamburg and Netherlands player Rafael van der Vaart. Sylvie's sunglasses are very similar to those of Victoria.

That's mainly good news for the Germans as Ballack and Lambe will soon be able to get married without major media hype.

Things looked different, of course, when the Beckhams stepped up to the altar and Rome descended into total traffic chaos when Italy captain Francesco Totti wed TV presenter Ilary Blasi.

But even Victoria Beckham and the rest of the WAGs probably had to hold their breath when Raica Oliveira recently strutted along the catwalk in football bikinis. Oliveira is the girlfriend of Brazil superstar Ronaldo.