So who won the WAG's world cup?

The footballers' wives and girlfriends have been on the front pages even more than their partners. Who has emerged as the tournament's real star?

While England's footballers were presenting a united, if depleted, front on the pitch yesterday, cracks started to emerge among some members of their accompanying band of designer-clad, champagne-swigging cheerleaders.

A number of Wives and Girlfriends (WAGs) had spent yet another evening guzzling bubbly in Garibaldi's Bar in Baden-Baden. Once again, the women had smiled for the paparazzi and chanted painful renditions of pop songs. But all is not well in their camp, eclipsing any tensions between David Beckham et al.

A split has emerged in the group between those content to spend to every other evening drinking and dancing on tables, and those who appear to be tiring of the month-long stint in their Black Forest luxury holiday camp. Leading the breakaway is none other than the so-called Queen WAG, Victoria Beckham.

As their men took to the pitch against Portugal, it emerged that she snubbed those on the latest night out on the tiles and is doing her best to distance herself from the party-animal behaviour that has come to typify some of the pack for fear it might damage her image.

Rather than join Coleen McLoughlin (partner of Wayne Rooney), Carly Zucker (Joe Cole) and Elen Rives (Frank Lampard) downing champagne, wine vodka and Red Bulls on Thursday night, Mrs Beckham opted to spend the evening with her children. She took seven-year-old Brooklyn and three-year-old Romeo to Stuttgart to see a performance of the musical Mamma Mia.

Victoria Beckham has also missed a WAGs family day out at a local theme park to go shopping in London and have her hair done. Yesterday it was claimed that the former Spice Girl was steering clear of the rest of the WAGs on purpose.

"She feels she is more sophisticated than girls who go to clubs, get drunk and sing football songs," a source reportedly said. "Victoria is aware that the more the WAGs go out and get drunk, the more the criticism is going to be levelled at them, both at home and abroad."

It was a clear reference to the growing anger over the antics of the WAGs and concern that they are simply reinforcing the view Continentals have of Britons on holiday.

Senior figures in the Football Association are understood to be less than impressed with the behaviour of some members of the players' entourage and are thought to be considering whether different arrangements should be made for future tournaments.

The Spanish newspaper ABC joined criticism against WAGs this week, dubbing them "hooligans with Visas" and adding: "The Moët and Chandon doesn't last the night since the team from Albion arrived at the aristocratic health resort."

And last week some were again in fine form, going about their daily routine of slapping on the suntan lotion, baking themselves, splashing out in designer shops and then going out for evenings of hard drinking.

Last Thursday night, in their usual haunt, it was reported that they competed for attention, smoked, screeched and gossiped about certain absentees. They celebrated the birthdays of Ashley Cole's girlfriend, Cheryl Tweedy, and his mother Sue by meeting at the bar of their £1,000-a-night hotel before embarking on an eight-hour drinking session.

The women kicked the night off with a £2,000 dinner, before moving on to a main course of pink champagne and vodka shots. Mrs Beckham, meanwhile, was tucking her sons up in bed.

While many locals, specifically the owners of Garibaldi's Bar, are happy about the amount of money the women are spending, others are becoming irritated by them.

"They've had their fun, but its all getting a bit much now. We're tired of the attention and the cameras," said one local. He added that the town had a famous spa, charming architecture and the impressive Kunsthalle art gallery, but the WAGs only wanted to see the inside of shops and bars.

The wagometer

PROMOTED TO THE PREMIERSHIP

Coleen McLoughlin WAYNE ROONEY'S FIANCEE, 20

Queen of the £30k bar bill and the reason why Garibaldi's ordered an extra 1,232 pints of strong lager when England beat Ecuador. No wonder they baked her a cake.

Carly Zucker JOE COLE'S GIRLFRIEND, 24

Wet T-shirts by day, drinking Germany dry by night, jogging at 7.30am showing peachy clear skin and a washboard stomach to grate cheese on. Posh beware.

Melanie Slade THEO WALCOTT'S GIRLFRIEND, 18

Buys her clothes at Primark, went home halfway through the tournament for AS-levels. Mistress of an elusive art: the less we see of her, the more we like her.

Alex Curran STEVEN GERRARD'S PARTNER, 24

Drinking, shopping, nipping out for a McDonald's and still finding time to write a column recommending Matalan. How does the yummy mummy manage it?

Elen Rives FRANK LAMPARD'S GIRLFRIEND, 28

Hats off to anyone who can still look sexy on a rollercoaster. Quote of the tournament: "We're here to support the boys, but the shopping's nice, too."

RELEGATED TO THE CONFERENCE LEAGUE

Cheryl Tweedy ASHLEY COLE'S FIANCEE, 22

A friend says, "Cheryl doesn't understand girls whose lives revolve around shopping with their partner's money."Cheryl's economy tip: eat like a hamster.

Abigail Clancy PETER CROUCH'S GIRLFRIEND, 20

A lacklustre performance, but is kept from the bottom of the table by having told Posh that she once got her autograph after a Spice Girls concert. When Abigail was 10.

Victoria Beckham DAVID BECKHAM'S WIFE, 32

Cracked an actual smile as David scored, but her tiny body is collapsing under the weight of those shades. No hair extensions or peekaboo bra can save her now.

Nancy Dell'Olio SVEN GORAN ERIKSSON'S PARTNER, IN HER 40S

Head waiter Gary Gawick, 27, said it all: "The older lady, Nancy, sat at the head of the table and had beef tartare and saddle of lamb..."

Lisa Roughead MICHAEL CARRICK'S FIANCEE, 24

When you can't even make the front page by attempting to snog Carly Zucker on camera, you have to worry. Party piece: Abba's "Dancing Queen" on karaoke.