Tolami Benson’s face card never declines (Picture: Getty Images)
England’s lacklustre performance may be the talk of Euro 2024 so far, but Tolami Benson is the moment.
The girlfriend of Arsenal forward Bukayo Saka has become a social media sensation during this year’s tournament in Germany, thanks to her flawless face card and style prowess mesmerising the masses.
Without even saying a word, she has single-handedly rejuvenated interest in the British WAG and it’s been a breath of fresh air.
After England’s first game at the Euros this month, photos of Tolami’s stunning looks did the rounds on social media with fans declaring her the WAG of the season and even British Vogue applauding her for breathing life into the dying breed of wives and girlfriends.
However, the exciting buzz surrounding Tolami is a stark reminder of what British football has been missing for the past decade – for those of us who enjoy the frivolous side of the beautiful game at least.
Many of us will remember the hoopla and sheer chaos surrounding the WAGs who supported their footballer husbands at the 2006 World Cup in Baden-Baden, Germany. At the time, Cheryl (then married to Ashley Cole), Victoria Beckham and Coleen Rooney were the talk of the town and splashed across front pages as the world analysed their fashion, marriages and dynamics with each other (pre-Wagatha Christie, of course).
Her relationship with Bukayo Saka doesn’t define her (Picture: Getty Images)
Tolami has become the WAG moment of the Euros 2024 (Picture: PA Wire)
She gets on with the other WAGs too (Picture: PA Wire)
Tolami’s relatable appeal is that she’s just a regular girl living the dream life (Picture: @tolami_benson, Instagram)
Before the era of social media influencers, these WAGs were the celebrities we idolised and adored.
We were gripped by everything from their style to the scandal and it was all exacerbated by the hit ITV series Footballers Wives, which made us feel like we had a glimpse into their oft-ridiculous world albeit on an extremely fictional scale. It was all affairs, tans, sex tapes and murder, and we lapped it up. Some of it at least appeared to be steeped in reality (murder aside).
However, Tolami seems to be a different type of WAG entirely.
She’s one of the first most prominent Black British WAGs we’ve had and among the classiest too.
Her style is flawless, showcased when she famously wore a black lace top underneath an Arsenal jersey while watching Saka at an away game.
She could easily become an ambassador for fast fashion brands as much as high-end designers, but it doesn’t seem like Tolami is going down that route just yet.
Her LinkedIn shows that she’s just a regular working gal who so happens to be dating a superstar footballer. Tolami has a background in PR and media relations after graduating from Birmingham City University and just bagged a new office job as a senior planning executive at advertising company Zenith in May.
Like the rest of us, she’s struggling with the work-life balance, especially with jetting into Germany every few days for England games, posting to her Instagram stories with a photo of her laptop: ‘Between game days and work my hairs gonna fall out.’
There aren’t many WAGs who still make the effort to hold onto their regular day jobs when they could easily capitalise off their partner’s fame and success – not that there’s anything wrong with that choice. However, it is refreshing to see someone in their early 20s like Tolami opting to maintain a level of normalcy in an otherwise extraordinary world.
Tolami’s relatability is why she’s fast becoming a fan-favourite and reinventing what it means to be a WAG; she’s equally Saka’s biggest supporter but also very much her own person.
Thanks to Tolami, I am well and truly back on WAG-watch and enjoying the ride.
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