Stunning Mexican World Cup host who ‘dated Cristiano Ronaldo’ places England on discover
A World Cup host who was linked with romancing Cristiano Ronaldo is backing her beloved Mexico to dump England out and go all the way
Vanessa Huppenkothen has stolen hearts during her coverage of the World Cup(Image: Instagram / vanehupp)
Gorgeous World Cup host Vanessa Huppenkothen has predicted England’s fate at the tournament – years after addressing relationship rumours with Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Mexican bombshell, who is a model and TV presenter for ESPN Mexico, has hosted coverage of the summer tournament where her home nation is acting as one of three host countries, alongside the United States and Canada.
The North American nation clinched qualification for the knockout stages after their 1-0 win over South Korea. But it was the moments following their 3-0 rout of the Czech Republic in their final group game that saw Huppenkothen make a brave statement.
Despite not knowing they’d face Ecuador in the next round, who they went on to defeat 2-0, the host sent a message to future opponent England and the rest of the field as she wrote on social media: “We’re going to win the World Cup.”
The presenter’s excitement was dampened by one user who urged fellow supporters to temper expectations for Javier Aguirre’s side. They wrote: “I know it’s hard not to get excited and carried away, but I think everything should have a dose of reality.
“The national team shut me up—and millions more—and I hope it keeps doing so. At least the next match will be very winnable.” The 41-year-old, who has over 2.3million followers on Instagram, has long covered sporting tournaments, with her first major assignment being the Summer Olympics in 2008.
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The World Cup 2026 is her third tournament, having covered the 2018 and 2022 editions. However, her popularity first expanded due to rumours she dated the Portuguese football icon back in 2015.
After Ronaldo broke up with Russian model Irina Shayk, the Portugal captain and Huppenkothen reportedly fell for each other after she visited Spain, according to media outlets in the European country.
However, such rumours were denied by the presenter who wrote on social media: “I don’t have the pleasure of knowing the current Ballon d’Or holder.”
Over a decade on since the links, Ronaldo has achieved yet another milestone in his iconic career as he scored his first World Cup knockout goal in Portugal’s 2-1 win over Croatia in the round of 32.
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