Meet 'It' Girl And WAG Tolami Benson

Back in the '90s and '00s, Victoria Beckham was the face of "WAG" culture. WAGs, or "Wives and Girlfriends," is the title given to the partners of the most elite soccer players in history (or football players if you're from over the pond). From the start, the WAG MO was simple: to turn out pitch side in their finest designer gear with perfectly coiffed hair and manicured nails to cheer on their respective spouses. Often, these faces became just as famous as their partners, with the likes of Colleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardy making headlines for their spending habits and trendsetting moves. In recent years, however, WAGs have largely flown under the radar — at least, until Tolami Benson came along. 

While soccer fans were going wild for the European Football Championship in 2024, eyes weren't secured solely to the pitch. Benson, the girlfriend of England player Bukayo Saka, was pulling attention firmly to the sidelines with her array of stunning outfits and her natural striking beauty. Whether she realized it or not, Benson was causing a stir that left one question on everyone's lips: who is she? 

Unlike some other major WAGs who have been around for decades, Benson is a relatively new addition, especially when it comes to catching media attention. Let's take a look at what we know about her so far. 

After she went all out for her 2023 birthday celebrations, Tolami Benson may need some simple tips for overcoming the birthday blues. After all, when you have a party this epic, the following days will pale in comparison. Benson turned the ripe old age of 23 in December 2023, making her a millennium baby. She shared a plethora of photographs on her Instagram profile of the momentous occasion, which looked like the epitome of luxury — and every bit as expensive as you might imagine.

The on-trend vintage style cake was small but classic and elegant, with the simple message, "Tolami Turns 23" iced on the top. Benson shared other photos of herself opening gifts, wearing a baby blue sequined outfit and what looks like diamond earrings and a simple diamond bracelet. She looks overjoyed as she clutches different items, one of which is a white purse. This particular accessory is instantly recognizable as a Dior saddle bag, one of the must-have purses of the moment that retails for around $2,000. 

Many of us might dream about owning something as lavish as that, but for Benson, it's just another day in the life. Other photos from the night show that there were plenty of cocktails and fine food on offer underneath a ceiling full of balloons.

Professional soccer players — especially the big names — can pull in major salaries. Superstar winger Bukayo Saka, for example, rakes in around £300,000 a week thanks to his Arsenal contract, according to Metro. His girlfriend, Tolami Benson, sure seems to be doing well for herself, too. The striking WAG has been making her own money moves as a high-level executive. Benson started out her working career in 2022, according to her LinkedIn. She worked as a sales assistant at swanky upmarket London department store Harrods before segueing into an account executive position at Talking Drum Communications. 

Though this was a short-lived role too, she quickly hopped to another position at Publicis Media. At the time of writing, her current gig is an executive role at Zenith. As she announced in a May 2024 LinkedIn post, "Starting next week, I'll be stepping into the role of Senior Planning Executive at Zenith, where I'll be working on the Coty account. I'm excited to bring my skills and passion to this new opportunity and to continue growing in the field of media planning."

Even though her working career has been relatively short, Benson has gone from strength to strength and is showing no signs of slowing down any time soon. 

Before she dove headfirst into her career, Tolami Benson earned a college education. Though we don't know a huge amount about her time there, we know that Benson graduated with a BA (Hons) in PR and Media from Birmingham City University. On her LinkedIn page, Benson noted of her college years, "I gained valuable skills in communication, research, and analysis." 

The institution has some pretty famous alumni, too, so Benson is in good company. Veteran presenter and broadcaster Chris Tarrant studied there, as did the late actor and comedy mastermind Victoria Wood, to name just a few. As far as cost goes, tuition can go up to £9,250 per year (that's the max amount in England as of this writing). Something tells us that Benson won't have to worry about paying off her college debt for too long, considering how impressive her career trajectory already is.

Prince William has had harsh words for the soccer community in the past, but he was still at a lot of England's games during the European Championships in 2024. Of course, he was not the only public figure in attendance. Musicians Adele and Ed Sheeran were at England's match against the Netherlands. And yes, there were a number of WAGs in the crowd.  It should come as no surprise that Tolami Benson was there to support her man, Bukayo Saka. The pair was spotted together after a couple of England's matches in 2024 looking amorous.

This was a change of pace for Saka and Benson, as they typically keep the PDA to an absolute minimum. Frankly, they keep just about any public interactions whatsoever to a minimum. What's more, they don't post pictures of their relationship online, and they don't even follow each other on social media. Their relationship is their business, and they seem keen to keep it that way.

Evidently, this approach seems to be working well for the pair: Benson and Saka have reportedly been going strong since 2020. Who can blame them for wanting to avoid the same media storm that has engulfed other soccer couples in the past?

There are tons of popular celeb vacation spots you need to visit at least once, and Tolami Benson is already ticking them off one by one. If we can learn anything from her Instagram profile, it's that she absolutely loves to travel. Her grid is peppered with photos of herself soaking up the sun in bikinis, some as she lounges on a beach bed, while others show her enjoying the water on what we can only assume is a private boat. Benson is on the road so much that she has special highlights dedicated to the places she has visited. 

The locations include Barcelona, Greece, France, Los Angeles, celebrity hotspot Dubai, and even the Bahamas. On the latter highlight, Benson shared snaps of crystal blue waters as she put on diving gear, ready to jump in with the local sea life. It's clear to see that she isn't doing budget vacations but high-end getaways at some of the most beautiful places in the world. 

The Bahamas isn't known for being a cheap trip, with the average stay at celeb favorite Sandals, Emerald Bay, clocking in around $1,000 per night. Though Benson didn't reveal where she stayed, it's not a stretch to assume it's on par. 

While soccer fans were busy talking about who might win the European Championships, Tolami Benson was focusing on scoring goals with her fashion. Every single look she wore to the games throughout the competition proved that she is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to style. Her pitch-side looks even garnered attention from British Vogue, who dedicated an article to her supreme outfits. She was quick to play down the attention she got when talking to the publication though insisting that not much thought goes into her looks. 

"People think it's a lot more elaborate than it is," she explained. "I don't have a stylist. Just a very honest girls' group chat." Perhaps most interestingly, Benson admitted that she often had to hightail it from her work office to the games, so the outfits sometimes had to be multi-functional. "You learn how to dress for both," she said. 

That being said, even Benson knew that she needed a little extra help when it came to the final, where England played (and lost to) Spain. She asked fashion designer Hattie Crowther to help her make something special. The result was a corset-style top made from an old jersey. According to Crowther, Benson "embodies empowerment as a woman navigating the football world on her own terms." 

Though we would love to know every single detail about this fashion icon's life, Tolami Benson keeps most things to herself. We don't know much about her family or her backstory, but it's thought that Tolami is of Nigerian descent and is even related to some impressive Nigerian public figures. There is some speculation (though Tolami has never confirmed it) that she counts Swiss-Nigerian singer Coco Benson as one of her relatives, though it's not clear in what capacity. For what it's worth, Coco and Tolami do follow one another on Instagram.

Coco, whose catalog includes the song "Majesty," is also married to another big name in Nigerian music, producer Shizzi. What's more, she is the granddaughter of Nigerian singer Bobby Benson. Bobby is best known for his song "Taxi Driver." If these connections are legit, it means that Tomali Benson has a very creative and supremely talented bloodline. Again, for all we know, they may just share a last name and nothing more.

As previously noted, the original WAG era began before Tolami Benson was born. David and Victoria Beckham's marriage was often center stage during this time; the Spice Girl frequently attended her husband's matches, looking glam every time. Pictured here in 2006 at one of England's FIFA World Cup games, Victoria can be seen wearing her giant wedding ring, expensive designer watch, and oversized dark sunglasses. The pop star was also often spotted in the crowds toting a designer handbag and one of her children along with her. Other names like Abbey Clancy, Coleen Rooney, and Cheryl Tweedy all followed suit, rocking voluminous hair extensions and pricey purses wherever they went.

It was a complicated time to be a WAG; 2000s gossip magazines were relentless toward celebrities back then (lest we forget the tragic details about Britney Spears' life). In recent years, WAGs don't pull as much tabloid attention — aside from the Wagatha Christie scandal that broke in the early 2020s, that is — but Benson is completely redefining what it means to be romantically involved with one of the best soccer players in the world. Back in the day, WAGs had somewhat of a bratty, party-girl reputation. But Benson, with her modern style, low-key approach to her relationship, and her own, high-flying career, has ushered in a totally new WAG era. 

Having a hobby can have surprising benefits for your health. If her Instagram account is an indicator, Tolami Benson has a lot of extracurricular interests, many of which happen to take place in the great outdoors. We know that she loves to travel and enjoy some downtime on the beach or on a boat, but it's not all about catching a tan and relaxing. Benson sure seems to have an adventurous spirit. The public figure often posts photos of herself on Instagram taking on activities like jet-skiing, riding bikes in the countryside, and taking an electric scooter around Venice Beach. There doesn't seem to be much that Benson doesn't want to do, which makes for interesting social media content.

Hey, if we had the opportunity to do adrenaline-fueled activities in the sun, we would grab it with both hands. Something tells us we haven't seen the best yet.

Super famous people and expensive cars seem to go hand-in-hand. While many celebrities like to take their fancy vehicles out for a spin around town, others treat their car collections like a hands-off exhibit at a museum. And, of course, there are the stars who don't drive at all. Tina Fey let her license expire after she moved to New York and has depended on public transit and chauffeurs ever since; Cardi B owns an eye-watering set of cars, but she never learned to drive or get her license.

Much like Cardi and Fey, Tolami Benson cannot legally drive. In early 2024, Benson posted a photo to Threads of herself waiting for a tube train with the caption, "My daily reminder to get my license. mondaymorningcommute." As of this writing, it's unclear whether or not she's since obtained her driver's license. 

Perhaps it's just more on-trend to be a passenger princess these days than a certified driver, and honestly, the thought of driving in London fills us with dread, too. So, if Benson has indeed continued to hold off on getting her license, we certainly wouldn't wag our finger at the WAG.