Wandagate: Soccer Player Grows Up Idolizing Star Player, Joins His Team, Then Steals His Wife & Kids

Summary

Podcast Summary: Moral Of The Story – "Wandagate: Soccer Player Grows Up Idolizing Star Player, Joins His Team, Then Steals His Wife & Kids"
Host: Stephanie Soo
Date: March 30, 2026
Episode Theme:
A wild, labyrinthine saga about the Argentine soccer love hexagon centered on Wanda Nara, her rise from reality TV notoriety to football super-WAG and agent, and the explosive scandal when her husband’s teenage protégé and mentee, Mauro Icardi, ends up stealing the family—plus the fallout, media frenzy, and moral vacuum at the heart of modern sports celebrity.

---

Main Theme & Purpose

Stephanie Soo dives into the tangled romantic and friendship drama among Argentine soccer stars, with Wanda Nara as the chaotic nucleus. Rather than analyzing on-field stats or soccer mechanics, this episode focuses on the world of WAGs (Wives and Girlfriends), cultural double standards, betrayal, social media warfare, and the transformation of international scandals into pop culture mythology. The episode’s tone is enthralling, irreverent, and gossipy—“This has nothing to do with balls. This has nothing to do with soccer. This is just: Why are they all dating each other in the messiest way possible?” (03:19, Stephanie Soo)

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

I. Wanda Nara’s Origin Story

• Wanda’s Family & Training
  • Raised in the Argentine suburbs in a family “structured more like a talent agency than a family” (04:01).
  • Her father is fame-obsessed, turning private pain into promo opportunities, while her mother “moves in silence,” gently orchestrating from the sidelines (04:45).
• Early Fame & Scandals
  • At 19, Wanda becomes infamous for a paparazzi “boxers incident”: she is photographed wearing Diego Maradona’s boxers outside a hotel, sparking CSI-level analysis in the media. “They’re catching print. They’re doing everything. And they’re like, these are Diego Maradona’s boxers, okay?” (08:23)
  • Maradona is established as a near-godlike figure in Argentina (“imagine it’s Michael Jordan and Michael Jackson as the same person” - 09:25).
• Wanda’s Public Persona
  • Follows up the scandal on a bizarre “I’m a virgin” PR tour. Her persona careens between “pure” and “whore,” confusing and intriguing a very Catholic Argentine society (12:43).
  • Continues to stoke attention with reality TV appearances and viral moments, e.g., the “Virgin of ice” meme after a staged-seeming fall on a dancing on ice show (14:25).

II. Code of the WAGs & Wanda’s First Marriage

• Cultural Context for WAGs
  • In Argentina, WAGs are seen as groupies, not glamorized celebrities. “If you are a wag, you’re supposed to be grateful and quiet. That’s the vibe. Your husband’s cheating, doesn’t matter. Be grateful and be quiet.” (16:32)
• Marriage to Maxi Lopez
  • Wanda marries handsome footballer Maxi Lopez, becomes not just his wife but also his agent (17:50). The marriage is publicized like a “royal wedding,” three children follow. Still, cracks form as Wanda refuses to conform to the expected silent-wife archetype.

III. Enter Mauro Icardi: Football Protégé Turned Interloper

• Mauro Icardi’s Background
  • Icardi, much younger, emerges as a prodigy from Messi’s hometown, supported by scrappy, factory-working parents. “Football is not a game to Icardi—football is life.” (20:04)
  • He’s “not really like a big team player,” focused on individual glory, which foreshadows later betrayals (21:25).
• Mentorship Dynamic
  • Maxi Lopez, 8 years older, becomes Icardi’s mentor, even having him live in their home and babysit his kids (26:37).
  • “You would never imagine introducing them to a 19-year-old boy would do something because... 19 is crazy.” (28:20)

IV. The Betrayal: Scandal Erupts

• The Breakup and Instagram Breakdown
  • Wanda and Maxi divorce amid public complaints from Wanda about her loneliness and Maxi’s bachelor life. Soon after, Wanda and Icardi begin publicly flirting on Instagram (34:54), shocking the football world.
• From Idolization to Rivalry
  • Media digs up old photos: “Icardi is a kid [meeting Maxi], and now he’s stealing his wife.” (35:53)
• Handshake Wars
  • Post-breakup, the two footballers refuse to shake hands before games, with “handshake cam” becoming more watched than the matches themselves (37:56).
    • Quote: “This gets more clicks than the actual soccer match... They had something called handshake cam dedicated to this.” (37:56)
• Public Fallout
  • Icardi gets Wanda’s sons’ names (from her marriage to Maxi) tattooed on his body—seen universally as going “absolutely insane.” (44:16)
  • The betrayal spawns new slang: “You got Icardi’d,” meaning being cheated on with your friend and partner (44:17).
  • Icardi is shameless—he tweets at Wanda (still legally married), posts public diary-like notes, further inflaming the scandal (44:49).

V. From Villainy to Soulmates? The Narrative Shifts

• Public Perception
  • The couple’s over-the-top romantic gestures and weddings shift some public sentiment. “People start thinking, okay, well, yeah, what they did was wrong, but maybe they’re soulmates… Maybe Icardi and Wanda are soulmates.” (46:32)
  • Their wedding is “like the Bonnie and Clyde story...us against the world.” (55:06)
• Icardi’s Public Book
  • Icardi’s memoir candidly describes the origin of the romance: “Did she really want the iPad? Or was she just looking for an excuse to get in touch with me?” (48:31)
  • The “Trojan Horse moment”—a photo revealed after-the-fact as the true start of the affair (50:27).

VI. Wanda’s Increasing Power and the Turning Tide

• Becoming ‘Wife-Agent’
  • Wanda becomes Icardi’s manager and agent, both domestically and professionally (56:10).
  • She doesn’t shy from controversy, giving racy interviews (“we do it 12 times a day” - 57:46), and publicly critiques teammates (“They barely give him five good balls” - 59:26).
  • This turns the fans against both Wanda and Icardi; videos of burning jerseys, chants, ostracism—culminating in Icardi being stripped of his team captaincy as an “institutional execution” (62:53).
    • Quote: “They immediately strip Icardi of his captain armband...it’s a very symbolic message that you’re problematic or controversial.” (62:53)
• The Patriarchal Backlash
  • The blame swings away from Icardi and fully onto Wanda. “People stop blaming Icardi, and they just now start blaming Wanda. Once he gets stripped of his captain title, the fans come back around and are like...it’s his wife that’s ruining him. Look at this poor man.” (63:01)

VII. Wanda’s Nuclear Instagram Story: The Cliffhanger

• Wandagate Reignites
  • October 16, 2021: Wanda, after a period of quieter posts, launches a nuclear Instagram Story: “Another family you destroyed, you cunt. Homewrecker.” (67:28)
    • Quote: “White text on a black background. Of course it is. That’s how you know someone is about to get fucked or someone fucked up.” (67:28)
  • The internet erupts as sleuths scramble to identify the new target. Stephanie ends the episode on a cliffhanger teasing more destructiveness and a new set of characters for Part 2 (68:23).

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Her superpower is monetizing heartbreak.” (03:48, Stephanie Soo)
• “If you think that you’ve had a private conversation with Wanda Nara, no, you fucking didn’t. Because it’s about to end up on her Instagram story.” (04:18)
• “Don’t play with people who have played with your teammates’ balls.” (06:38)
• “Either you’re pure or you’re a whore. That’s it. That’s it. There’s no middle ground.” (11:34)
• “This is like a mega, mega star. Is that right?” — Podcast Co-host, on Maradona’s stature (09:44)
• “He gets Wanda and Maxi Lopez’s sons’ names tattooed on him. Tattooed? Literally? Why?” (44:16)
• “You got Icardi’d” — new slang for being betrayed by a friend and lover, “worse than cheating.” (44:17)
• “He’s setting all the codes on fire and then fucking roasting marshmallows over the flames.” (44:49)
• “Handshake cam becomes almost like a geopolitical discourse.” (37:56)
• “Another family you destroyed, you cunt. Homewrecker.” (67:28, Wanda’s Instagram post)
• “[Wanda and Icardi are] immortalized in the history of soccer, the pettiness is solidified in memes.” (38:47, Stephanie Soo)

---

Timeline & Important Segment Timestamps

• 00:30 – 05:00: Introduction, Wanda’s family background
• 08:00 – 12:00: Maradona boxers scandal, purity/whore dichotomy in Argentine society
• 14:25: "Virgin of ice" viral TV moment
• 16:32: “WAGs” cultural context and codes in Argentina
• 17:50: Wanda as Maxi Lopez’s wife and agent
• 19:07 – 21:25: Mauro Icardi’s background; aggressive, individualistic player
• 26:11: Icardi enters the Lopez household as mentee and “little brother”
• 34:54: Post-divorce social media flirtation between Wanda and Icardi
• 37:56: Handshake cam phenomena as scandal eclipses sports
• 44:16: Icardi tattoos Wanda and Maxi’s sons’ names
• 46:32: Public narrative shift: are Wanda and Icardi soulmates?
• 55:06: Over-the-top Bonnie and Clyde wedding and family blending
• 56:10 – 62:53: Wanda as Icardi’s agent/publicist, backlash, and Icardi stripped of captaincy
• 67:28 – 68:23: Wanda’s nuclear Instagram post, cliffhanger teaser for next episode

---

Flow, Tone, & Final Thoughts

Stephanie Soo tells the story with backgrounded research, listener asides, and a conversational, gossipy, but incisive tone. Her mix of meta-commentary on sports, gender, and “the codes” makes these larger-than-life scandals captivating whether or not you’re a soccer fan. The structure deliberately builds suspense, ending at the height of a new, wider-reaching social media explosion (“...that’s where I leave you for part two” – 68:23).

The “moral” of the story, as Stephanie playfully points out? There is none—just chaos, spectacle, and the endless reinvention of villainy and “ride or die” loyalty in sports and celebrity circles. Stay tuned for Part 2.

Transcript

[Commercial Announcer]

This April. Get your rom com on with youh Me and Tuscany. Only in theaters April 10th. From Will Packer, producer of Girls Trip, you, Me and Tuscany has all the ingredients of your favorite rom coms heart, huge laughs and sizzling chemistry. Starring Halle Bailey and Reggae Jean Page and set in the enchanting vineyards of Tuscany, this film is a movie escape that's perfect for date night or girls night. Don't miss you, me and Tuscany. Directed by Cat Coiro. Only in theaters April 10th.

[Podcast Host]

Sonic believes that even the smallest achievements deserve to be rewarded, preferably with a deliciously hydrating sonic refresher made with real fruit and energizing green tea. Canceled a free trial on time. Sip to that with a berry citrus refresher. Remembered your password? Sip to that with a mango peach refresher. Finally, book that oil change. Sip to that with a strawberry passion fruit. Try all new Sonic refreshers in sparkling or still for just 299 today. I have two disclaimers for today's episode. Disclaimer number one. If I'm squinting a lot, it's because I've been dealing with some eyeball dryness I don't even know. I've been lubricating. I've been reworking wedding. I've been doing all the things that the eye doctors tell you to do, and it just has not been solved. So that's number one. Number two is I am mentally unprepared but prepared to be canceled by incels and football fans on Twitter. And you know what? It's just going to happen. And jokes on them because I don't even go on Twitter. I only do for research, but I never look at myself. Okay, so yeah, we're. They're going to be upset. They're going to be upset. I'm scared to talk about sports. This is like one of the mods. I'm never scared to touch a mot, but this is one where I'm like, ooh, I don't know. I've been putting it off, putting it off. But it's been so highly requested. We are going to be dissecting the very messy love. What's bigger than a triangle? A love hexagon, A love octagon of the wags of Argentinian soccer players that I just didn't even know that it could get this messy. Am I dissecting their soccer play? Am I dissecting what it means to be a pro athlete? Absolutely. Absolutely not. Do I know how to be a pro athlete? No. So this has nothing to do with balls. This has nothing to do with soccer. This is just. Why are they all dating each other in the messiest way possible? That's my question. So we did work with our Argentinian researchers on this, and she just gave me, like a very firm warning. She was like, you know how in America for Thanksgiving, you don't want to talk to your uncle about religion or politics? In Argentina, we don't want to talk about religion, politics, and football. They call it football, so everyone calls it football. I don't know why the fuck we call it soccer. Okay, so they don't like to talk about soccer. That's how divisive this topic is. But we're about to dive right in. Let me introduce you to player number one. CEO is the position that she has on the field. Her name is Wanda Nara. She's very important. She's the main character in probably the next three part episodes of Moths because her life is batshit insane. She's Wanda. She looks beautiful. Her superpower is monetizing heartbreak. That's her biggest thing. She can do it and she does it well. And you'll be so confused about how you even feel about her by the end of this. You keep flip flopping. Her iconic quote is another family that you destroyed, you bitch. You can't. Her weakness is her Instagram stories. If you think that you've had a private conversation with Wanda Nara, no, you fucking didn't. Because it's about to end up on her Instagram story. Let me give you the lowdown on the history of Ms. Wanda. Ms. Wanda grew up in the suburbs of Argentina. She didn't even grow up in the city. And her whole family, it's more structured like a talent agency than it is a family. Wanda's parents raised Wanda and her sister Zyra. Very important to the conversation later. And they're all about getting into the upper echelon of show business royalty. Are they. Are they Nepo babies? No, they're like just a middle class family. But her parents have been prepping her since day one. They're like, this is the fastest way that you're going to get out of the burbs, the suburbs and into the big city. Which, by the way, Wanda's dad is so crazy, okay? They're all about fame. They're kind of like the Kardashians. Wanda's dad would later be the guy that will do interviews about Wanda, his own daughter's most private, painful moments in life. And his T shirt is like a Formula one car. Just sponsored company labels all over his T Shirt while he does interviews. He's getting paid. Oh yeah, like a NASCAR car. He's crazy. Okay. And then on the other hand, you have Wanda's mom. She's very quiet, very calm, which she is always watching and she's always maneuvering, she's making moves. She's the one that's posting on Instagram. Move in silence.

[Podcast Co-host]

Like that's the moment she actually post that or something.

[Podcast Host]

I feel like she would. Yeah. But that's her energy that she gives me. And so Wanda, she starts her life off ever since she was a kid, just doing random ass reality shows. Argentina's Dancing with the Stars, Skating with the Stars. She does this other show called Married with Children. She does another one that's like without codes, which is kind of ironic later because everyone thinks that Wanda Nara is the woman who breaks all soccer codes. But there's a few codes in soccer. Like there's the actual game rules. That's not what we're talking about. There are codes in the locker room. People say the thing with soccer athletes, football athletes, is that you do not touch another player's wife. You just don't. You never do. A girlfriend, you don't touch them. I mean, they might as well be a fucking nun to you. Okay? They are a Buddhist monk. You just imagine them bald. No matter how hot they are. You don't look at them. You don't.

[Podcast Co-host]

It's crazy that you have to make a rule for that.

[Podcast Host]

Yes. And even if it's like a short

[Podcast Co-host]

date, don't sleep with your teammate's wife. Okay?

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. Please don't. But even if it's a girlfriend for one month, you cannot date them the next month.

[Podcast Co-host]

Oh.

[Podcast Host]

Like it's very tricky business. Okay, okay. Like if they dated for two weeks, you could probably have a cool off period and then you could probably talk to them about it and then perhaps they might let you date them. But usually it's just like the code of conduct. You don't. Like you play with the ball, but you don't play with people who have played with your teammates balls. Like it's just, it's a thing that's just not. It's frowned upon. It's frowned upon. So Wanda, she starts making it big when she's 19 years old. This is like way back in 2006. So Wanda Nara has been around for a very long time. 19 year old Wanda, I think, I think she called paparazzi on herself. But disregard me, okay? Paparazzi are suddenly all over this 19 year old and they're hiding in the bush, TMZ style. And it's a paparazzi video of this 19 year old girl. And she's outside of a hotel room. This is like one of those suites. So when you exit the suite, it's like your own private garden. And someone is like hiding in the bushes of the garden. And she's just casually taking a phone call. And here's why I think this is all staged. She's casually taking a phone call, but she's like touching her stomach and she keeps. She's like wearing a short dress and her dress is like all the way up. So her butt is out. Her butt is out. And I'm like, I've never just casually taken a phone call where I'm letting my butt out in public. I mean, it's not public. It's a private garden.

[Podcast Co-host]

She's not wearing any clothes.

[Podcast Host]

Oh, that's the catch. She's wearing a pair of boxers. Now, why is this so scandalous? Because these boxers are a pair of men's boxers that belong to Diego Maradona in Argentina.

[Podcast Co-host]

How do they know the boxer belongs?

[Podcast Host]

Because people decided that they were gonna whip out their little computers, they're gonna put on their little eyeglasses, tippity tappity tap. And they're like, he was at this hotel the same time that she was at this hotel. And look at this picture of him where his pants were coming down a little bit. And these are the same boxers. Look at the boxers. People are squaring in. They're analyzing, what does the boxer look like? It just looks like regular boxers, like boxers that you wear. And people are analyzing the shit out of it. They're catching print. They're doing everything. And they're like, these are Diego Maradona's boxers, okay? This is a retired soccer player. He won the 1986 soccer World cup for Argentina. Which I know you're thinking, oh, that was so long ago, but my Argentinian researcher was like, let me break it down for you, you dumb bitch. No, she didn't say that, okay? She was like, imagine. Imagine it's Michael Jordan. And I said, michael Jordan. That's crazy. Also the new video. Anyway, we're not gonna talk about that.

[Podcast Co-host]

Whoa.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Podcast Co-host]

And then imagine you standing there weighing Michael Jordan.

[Podcast Host]

No, she's like, but it's not just Michael Jordan. It's like if Michael Jordan and Michael Jackson were the same person. And I said, what? He's. He's singing and he's footballing. What's going on? Okay, she was Like, I don't know how to explain. Explain it, but just. It's that level. And I was like, whoa.

[Podcast Co-host]

So it's like a mega, mega star. Is that right?

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. Okay, you have more questions. I did too. So apparently when he RIP sadly passed away in 2020, the government declared three days of national mourning. They opened up the presidential palace so that people. People could file past his coffin. And this is in the middle of COVID lockdown. So people were lined up for just hours all day. The crowds took over the street. There were riots. Police had to intervene. It was insane. This is during COVID when people weren't even allowed to go to their own family's funerals, but they're going to his funeral. Like, the rules just didn't apply because he's that big of a legend. So she's 19, and there's this video that comes out and she's allegedly wearing his boxers. And again, I feel like she called paparazzi on herself for, what do I know, gossip little forums. They go full csi. They're zooming in on the fabric. They're like, look at that thread count. Look at his boxers. We're catching print. This is a 19 year old dating the goat. Holy shit, by the way. He was 45, so it made it a little bit messier because, like, double her age plus and she's like a nobody at this point. Nobody even knows who this girl is. And instead of hiding in shame, because my researcher was like, you know, Argentina, like most countries, it's still. I mean, Argentina is a very Catholic run country, so there's a lot of shame in just being spotted being someone's girl toy, boy toy, you know? And instead of hiding, Wanda decides that she's gonna go on a full R PR tour where she declares that she is a virgin. Like it is the most random PR tour. You were just spotted with a goat. Soccer player. And no offense, pro athletes are not known for keeping it in their pants. You're wearing his boxers, so what is he wearing? He definitely didn't keep it in his pants. He didn't even keep his boxers on. So you're wearing his boxers and you're telling us that you're a virgin. But it kind of worked because in Argentina, my researcher was like, we have this thing. And I agree with this. I feel like this is everywhere where either you're pure or you're a whore. That's it. That's it. There's no middle ground. You're either like a virgin, innocent like teen idol, child star, or you're like a sexy Madonna and there's no in between. You're either going to be hyper sexualized or you're like a saint that has never been touched. So now Wanda is confusing the shit out of everyone because we just saw you looking like that. But then you're saying you're this and everyone's having like a full blown conniption. Their minds are blown. They can't even grasp the concept of what's going on.

[Podcast Co-host]

Like, she just like going around the stations talking about, yeah, she's like, that

[Podcast Host]

was me and his boxers. But I need to let you know

[Podcast Co-host]

this, say that they are dating.

[Podcast Host]

No, she said we're not dating. That was just so silly goofy. She's like, yeah, I mean that was a picture I was wearing as boxers. But nothing happened. I'm a virgin.

[Podcast Co-host]

Okay?

[Podcast Host]

So everyone's like, huh? I mean, because she's so blatant about it, no one can even question her. Even though we kind of feel like she's lying. But also what's it to us if she's lying? So I guess slay. I don't know. Like everyone's confused about how to feel and everyone is just like, I guess we're just gonna let it happen. And all the major TV news networks, all they want are the clicks. So an interview with her at this moment, they're gonna get the clicks. So they're platforming her and she's saying, I'm a virgin. And everyone's confused. They don't really know how to feel about Wanda, which she starts going viral and she just leans so into this virality that she nearly tips over a million times. She hits up every major talk show. Then she starts going on and doing these reality shows. She's all up on the tabloids every single day and she' getting paid. She even does a magazine cover where it says my little virgin and it's like her with half her boobs out. But the COVID title is like My love, I don't know. And like I love her for that because it was confusing. Everyone's confused because we're not used to this. And like slay. You can be a virgin and be hot at the same time. Although I don't think she's a virgin, but that's fine. And she even becomes big enough that she hits up Argentina's. It's like Dancing with the Stars, but on ice. So all of these celebrities, like smaller celebrities are going to learn how to figure skate with their partners with like a random partner that they're Given. And they're figure skating. And I just need to play the video for you because some people think that it was staged. Okay, so this is how it starts. Also, her ass is just out the entire time.

[Podcast Co-host]

What do you mean?

[Podcast Host]

Like, just watch. Like, she's just wearing a thong under a tutu. Like, just a thong under a tutu is how we're doing it. So then they're spinning, and then she just falls, and then she just, like, lays there for a second.

[Podcast Co-host]

Oh, is that supposed to be an accident?

[Podcast Host]

They said it was an accident. I feel like it was on purpose. It becomes a meme. It feels calculated, but it works because I think this was the most replayed clip in that year, really, any sort of reality show. And everyone started calling her the Virgin of ice because she's so bad on ice. And they're just poking fun at her. And, I mean, it just seemed like she realizes early on if she cannot be taken seriously, she's just going to go. Walk to hell with it. She's just going to let everyone meme her to shit him back. And that is when she meets her first soccer player husband, her first footballer by the name of Maxi Lopez. Okay, Maxi Lopez is a football player that everybody thinks is handsome and charismatic. And for a time at that time when they meet, he's playing for the Italian team, which apparently in the world of Argentinian soccer, this is like the ultimate prize. Once you get signed for a European team, that means you're getting a lot of money and you're getting bigger status than every other player. So this is like the dream. This is imagining being the first round draft pick take of the NBA or the NFL. That's the vibe this is giving. So she. She meets Maxi Lopez, they get married in 2008, they get three young kids together, and then that is when everything starts falling to shit.

[Podcast Co-host]

Really?

[Podcast Host]

Holy cow. Holy cow. Okay, so before she meets Maxi Lopez, she decides, I'm not just gonna be a wag, which, by the way, in Argentina, I feel like Wags in America.

[Podcast Co-host]

What is a Wagner?

[Podcast Host]

Wife and girlfriend. Wife and girlfriend of a pro athlete. So there's like, football Wags, there's basketball Wags, there's F1Wags. Everybody has a tennis wags. Okay, Everybody's got wags.

[Podcast Co-host]

Like a slang.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, Every. It's a wife and girlfriend. Yeah. So every sport has WAGs. Now in Argentina, wags are not seen the way that we see them here. Like, when we see wags here, we're like, they're living the life. Look at Them, Okay? And then there's drama, and then there's like, someone else is getting pregnant. There's a lot of, like, wag drama. And it's all about, like, what are the Wags wearing to the competitions? Who cares about F1? I want to know what the girlies are wearing, okay? That's the vibe here. We love them. We idolize them. They're beautiful. But then in Argentina, they're kind of looked down upon as groupies. So there's, like, a slightly more negative connotation to Wags over there. And if you are a wag, you're supposed to be grateful and quiet. That's the vibe. Like, your husband's cheating, doesn't matter. Be grateful and be quiet. Wanda's like, I'm not gonna be a Wag. I'm gonna be fucking Wanda. So she decides that she's going to get some sort of certification where she can become an agent. She becomes a football agent. Certified to negotiate contracts.

[Podcast Co-host]

Dang. Okay.

[Podcast Host]

Does she have clients? No, she's gonna marry them first. So she marries Maxi Lopez.

[Podcast Co-host]

She became his agent?

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Podcast Co-host]

Oh, slay.

[Podcast Host]

She starts trying to be his agent, you know, and the way that she is a wag is very different. I feel like, do we know any Wags like this? I don't know.

[Podcast Co-host]

I mean, she's like. She knows her goals and she's going after it. Right. She's trying to be a businesswoman.

[Podcast Host]

Yes. But she's very emotional about it because she's the type of person where if she is happy, if she's in a good mood with her husband or the footballers or whoever, she's going to post pictures of her Birkins in a private jet, and she's gonna be like family. Above all, she's gonna be posting pics with her kids. She's gonna be doing this, doing that. And then the minute that she's angry, it's gonna be a 3am blurry, her crying in bed. And then it's gonna say something along the lines of, like, when loyalty doesn't mean loyalty. Okay? And then you're gonna be like, I know some shit is going down in her private life, and it's just very obvious. She just is so true to herself. She will not be bullied by the boys of soccer. She marries Maxi Lopez, and that's how the relationship goes. But I need to introduce you to the next person first. They're all gonna merge. It's. His name is Morrow. Icardi.

[Podcast Co-host]

Mauro Icardi.

[Podcast Host]

Icardi is like, a pretty Big name in soccer, though, so that's why I'm scared. Okay. I saw lots of bigger than Mark Mac.

[Podcast Co-host]

What is it?

[Podcast Host]

Maxi Lopez. Okay, that's the thing about Maxi Lopez. He has a ton of trophies under his name, but they call him the trophy tourist. So what happened was he gets signed with all these European teams, and all of those teams end up winning these massive trophies, but he's always benched, so he does get the trophy under his name, but he's not really playing a lot of the game. Yeah. So. But then people always thought that he was gonna be a superstar, so, like, a lot of people love him, but.

[Podcast Co-host]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I. Cardi is even bigger.

[Podcast Host]

Icardi is bigger. Yeah.

[Podcast Co-host]

Okay.

[Podcast Host]

A lot of people think that he's better at playing. He's very aggressive. He's an aggressive player. So he grew up in Argentina as well, and, oh, he grew up in the same hometown as Messi, so a lot of people say it's actually hard to be from that hometown.

[Podcast Co-host]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

Because, you know, everyone wants to be a soccer player now because Messi's from there. And then everyone's like, well, you're never going to be messy. And so it's kind of like, am I supposed to try to be the next Messi or not? Like, what do you want from me? So he grew up in that town, and it's said that his dad worked multiple jobs working in factories just so he could play football. Like, football is not a game to Icardi. Like, football is life. And I mean, like, not in, like, the football is life way. Like, genuinely, football is life. There was a time where Argentina's economy is collapsing. His dad is working at factories. His mom works a small salon. I mean, nobody. They have no money. Everybody's just betting on Icardi. Even when he's 9 years old, he's so skinny and he's just full of dreams. Everyone thought that he was gonna fail, and he doesn't.

[Commercial Announcer]

This April, get your rom com on with youh, Me and Tuscany. Only in theaters April 10th. From Will Packer, producer of Girls Trip. You, me and Tuscany has all the ingredients of your favorite rom coms. Heart, huge laughs and sizzling chemistry. Starring Halle Bailey and Reggae Jean Page. And set in enchanting vineyards of Tuscany, this film is a movie escape that's perfect for date night or girls night. Don't miss you, me and Tuscany. Directed by Cat Coiro. Only in theaters April 10th.

[Podcast Host]

America's Best Network just got bigger. Switch to T Mobile today and get built in benefits the other guys leave out. Plus our 5 year price guarantee and now T Mobile is available in US Cellular stores. Best Mobile Network Based on analysis by Google of speed test intelligence data 2H 2025 bigger network the combination of T mobiles and US cellular network footprints will enhance the T Mobile network's coverage price guarantee on talk text and data exclusions like taxes and fees apply. See t mobile.com for details. Summer is coming in hot this year and sometimes I think standing for hours in front of the barbecue outside in the hot sun while the rest of the family enjoys the refreshing pool does not sound like a fun fresh summertime. But throwing in the towel and just ordering takeout or like the greasy pizza, it doesn't feel right either. You want a refreshing homemade summer meal to go with your homemade summer memories. And that is where HelloFresh comes in. With HelloFresh, you can choose from more than 100 recipes every week. There are recipes that take 20 minutes or less. Gluten free options. Kid friendly options. It's already heating up where we are, so swim season is coming in. My family has been loving HelloFresh's. It's swicy, it's sweet and spicy Cajun chicken sandwiches made in the air fryer so no hot grills going. My very Korean parents are obsessed with it. Go to hellofresh.com my10fm to get 10 free meals plus a free Zwilling knife. A $144.99 value on your third box offer valid while supplies last. Free meals applied as discount on first box. New subscribers only varies by plan. They get him into Spain for like a youth soccer club and just to give you an idea, this is a pretty legendary soccer club and he was a legendary kid. He scored more than 500 goals during the ages of 9 and 15. So if you average that out that he's averaging like 100 goals a season. In a typical youth league, even the star star player does about 20 to 30 goals a season. He's averaging 100 goals a season. And he's so good at scoring goals. He's so cold blooded in front of the net. That's what people call him. He's also not really like a big team player. That was kind of his thing. Okay, that was. Yeah, it's like a big thing. And his parents, they're like your typical athlete parents. They're on the sidelines. They got that crock pot of home cooked meal. The other team players are like, oh, let's go out to eat together since we just did so, well, during practice and he's like, no thanks. He walks over, his mom gives him like a crock pot meal. He eats on the field. And then his mom is like, back to it by yourself. Back on the field, bitch. Like, that's the vibe. That's. That's the vibe. And he, at this point, he starts getting recruited by all the top three clubs. It's like Real Madrid, Arsenal and Liverpool. I don't know what I'm talking about. So just. I'm sorry, I think those are the three. There could be other that are bigger. I'm sorry. But he gets scouted by those three. And so to put it into perspective, it's imagine you're a teenager in high school. You're doing your school plays and then all of a sudden, Disney, hbo, Netflix, they're at your door and they say, we want you. Don't go to them, come to us. He picks FS Barcelona, top tier team, youth soccer club. And then he moves to a different town for this. And this is like, I think one of the most famous youth academies in the entire world. Messi also went there. So lots of pressure. Okay, but here's the problem at FC Barcelona. They are on like a system based sport. So the Argentinians call it Tiki taka. So it just means it's like a style of play. So that the way they play soccer is everyone is supposed to be part of a machine. It's unselfish. You're not trying to be the star player. It's about equal parts to a machine. So there's constant short passing. Non stop, non stop, non stop, non stop. So you barely get the ball for like two seconds before you're supposed to pass it to the next person and then another person, and then another person. You don't really have the time to shine. Now, Icardi, on the other hand, is a striker. So his whole existence on the field is dedicated to scoring goals. It's not to pass, it's to score. So everyone is playing, sharing the ball as a unit. And he would position himself exclusively and probably fucking annoying to his teammates right in front of the other opponent's goal so that he can try to get the ball and then strike the ball into the goal. He's not interested in learning how to work together or any of that. And once he's 19, he starts transitioning from a youth career to the professional career. And that's where he meets his mentor, Maxi Lopez.

[Podcast Co-host]

What?

[Podcast Host]

Okay, so they're on the same team, but Maxi is much older. So they're like, he's like a mentor. Yeah. He's more experienced.

[Podcast Co-host]

What's their age gap?

[Podcast Host]

Maxi Lopez is eight years older than Icardi. So when Icardi is 19, he's 27. And then Wanda is two years younger than Maxi, so she would be 25. And Icardi is 19.

[Podcast Co-host]

Oh, yeah.

[Podcast Host]

So you have a 25 year old and a 27 year old that are married with three kids. Three boys. Okay. And then you have a 19 year old who's transitioning from youth soccer teams, like the youth league to the professional league.

[Podcast Co-host]

This is wild.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. And then. Okay, so a lot of people say that when there is a player that's transitioning from youth to professional, they will take on like, they'll be God parented by someone. It's like a very sentimental term in Spanish that I cannot pronounce, but it basically means, like, this is a mentor that's not just taking you in on the field. They'll usually take you into their home. They'll teach you, like, how to become an adult of. In terms of. Well, when the professional leagues, they try to negotiate this way. Like, you need to look out for yourself this way. Like, they teach you locker room coach. Yeah. They like teach you all the nuances of like, this is the captain, this is the owner of the team. Like, this is how you should behave in these types of settings. When there's this sort of gala, you dress like this. Like it's someone who teaches you the ropes of professional league sports.

[Podcast Co-host]

But he didn't move into their house. Right.

[Podcast Host]

He lived in their house for quite a minute. And sometimes he would babysit the kids. He would go on family trips with them, and he would babysit the kids.

[Podcast Co-host]

Oh, my God.

[Podcast Host]

So you know where this is gonna go, right? Okay. Oh, shit. Yeah. So Maxi introduces Wanda to icardi because he's like, duh, this is my wife. And I imagine as a 27 year old and your wife is around the same age as you, you would never imagine introducing them to a 19 year old boy would do something because they're 19 is crazy. 19.

[Podcast Co-host]

He looked so young.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Podcast Co-host]

He has a baby face.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Podcast Co-host]

Oh, my God. That's crazy.

[Podcast Host]

But you know, what kind of relationship are Wanda and Maxi Lopez even in? Because how can a 19 year old come into the picture and just stir shit up? Let me go back. Let me go back. Maxi Lopez and Wanda meet at a party. Now, a lot of people think that Wanda had this all planned, that a friend called her and was like, hey, I'M going to this party and there's going to be some famous footballers there. By this point he had already signed a, I think like a 6, 6, $7 million contract with a European team. It does increase more, but that was just the beginning. So they're like, you gotta show up Wanda. Wanda's like, duh. She flies to the other side of the country to show up to this party, walks in and he falls in love. It is said that she walked in just like messy hair, looking not super done up. So that's Wanda. Wanda never wants to be categorized as a groupie, even though sometimes she kind of does groupie shit, you know what I mean? But that's okay. But she doesn't want to be categorized as one. She doesn't want these footballers to look at her and think, oh, this is like a one night stand groupie. So she's dressed very differently than you would imagine. What like, I guess would appeal to a ton of pro athletes. And he's into it, he falls in love, they get engaged, they have this huge wedding ceremony that's like a Kardashian style TV special. It just looks, it was like a five layer cake, a skyscraper of 200 bottles of top tier champagne. The guest list was all star football players. It was the royal wedding. Even the hotel suites. Each room had each guest's name engraved onto the door. And then right after Maxi Lopez goes back to training, Wanda goes on a trip with her friends and it's like a modern football romance. They do a ton of interviews together and it's like this very inter inspirational, traditional Cinderella story. They're both young, he's successful, good at what he does. She's about to be a homemaker because she's about to have children and it's going to be this incredible thing. So they get three golden sons. That's what they're called. Okay, 2009, 2010, 2012, they have three sons. Maxi Lopez, provider, soccer player. Wanda, amazing mom. That was supposed to be the image, right? Because usually that's how it goes in the world of football.

[Podcast Co-host]

Is it?

[Podcast Host]

That's how it goes. So it goes okay, because see, that's like the pro athlete culture. And like, that's not even just athlete culture. That's CEO culture. That's any one party is rich culture. It's the husband sometimes will be acting a fool, doing all these crazy things. However, however, the wife gives PR statements, she stays at home with the kids, she buys a new Ferrari every other month, you know, and then they don't complain. That's the culture. Is that, should that be normal? No, that's not what I'm saying. I'm just saying that's typically what happens. However, Wanda doesn't want to do that. She doesn't like the silent wife act. So near the end of their relationship, she starts going to these reporters and saying that despite being in a Ferrari every day, she is completely alone. She. She leaks to the press that she feels like luxury high end servant who's ra their three sons while he's living his life like a bachelor. And everyone's like, we're not used to this. We are not used to this. Especially Argentinian football players. They're not used to this. So my researcher was telling me like, again, the wags are supposed to be very grateful and quiet. That's the vibe. You get to live this luxury life. But you be grateful and you be quiet and you don't air out dirty laundry. And typically there's a shit ton of dirty laundry. And then sometimes the husbands are to supposed so freaking dumb that they get caught doing their dirty laundry in public. And then the wife gives a PR statement, they give a PR statement and they go back to being a happy family and being quiet and grateful and then all over again. But Wanda's like, I don't even care. You guys don't even know anything. But I'm gonna let you know, I'm not happy. I don't want to be here. Everyone's like, this is crazy. So a lot of people get mad at Wanda. They're not mad at what she said because there's a lot of truth to what she said. They just don't like that she said it out loud, basically. And so this is like near the rocky part of their relationship. Maxi Lopez is like, you know what? I don't like my home life. I'm gonna take on a little brother on the soccer team. I'm gonna take in 19 year old Icardi and he's just, I'm gonna invite him into my home, to the dinner table, onto my yacht, with my family, with my wife and three sons. Because he's like the little brother that I never had.

[Podcast Co-host]

Yikes.

[Podcast Host]

This one season, they really only just like had one season where they played on the same team. Would change the history of their lives. It would change everything. And so in 2013, Maxi Lopez and Wanda call it quits. They announced to the public that they're getting a divorce, that they're going to be co parenting, focusing on their sons. And nobody shocked because at this, this Point Wanda had been slowly complaining with more higher frequency of how unhappy she was in her family life. So people are like, okay, that makes sense. We knew this was coming. But what we did not know was coming is that suddenly she just starts very quickly publicly flirting on Instagram with one of Maxi Lopez's teammates, Icardi. Icardi. And everyone is so confused because, I mean, this is like the conservative world of professional sports. The ex wife of a player usually has, like a very specific role, which is you're just like now the mother of a player's children. The other players are not supposed to date you, they're not supposed to marry you, they're not supposed to hang out with you. Really, like, it's like a very different. You're there to like, like, take your alimony and protect the player's reputation. Again. Do I agree with that? No. You should burn the house down if you feel like it. But I'm just saying that's what's expected. And Wanda is out there publicly flirting with Icardi on Instagram and this just blows up.

[Podcast Co-host]

How old was Icardi then?

[Podcast Host]

2013. So probably 2021. Oh, yeah. And he starts publicly flirting back. Because it's one thing if Wanda's just flirting because maybe it's like, oh, she's being so messy. She's crashing out. Yeah. But Icardi is also interacting with her post, liking all of her, like, thirst traps. And everyone's like, what is happening? And just to give you an idea, once these start going viral of them having flirtations on Instagram, people start digging up other things and they go all the way back to 2005. This is when Maxi Lopez is, like, becoming the star at Barcelona soccer team. Icardi is a child. He's a kid. He goes to the Barcelona Youth Academy and he approaches Maxi Lopez for an autograph, and they take a picture together, and it's just like a short, tiny little Icardi and a full grown Maxi Lopez.

[Podcast Co-host]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

And now he's stealing his wife. He's stealing his wife.

[Podcast Co-host]

Oh, man.

[Podcast Host]

Like a few months after the divorce is finalized.

[Podcast Co-host]

How the world works, right?

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. And they start, okay, so they go from just like flirting online and then just straight up, like, let it be known we are together. Wanda has this song that she likes called you'd and Only youy. And she. I think she, like, tweets about it. Icardi retweets and says, for you, my love, but I like the one you dedicated to me better. And so he's like, Dedicating songs back to her. And he's like, my heart is in your hands. Be careful. He literally tweets this to Wanda. So everybody is having a full blown meltdown. The soccer fans don't even know what to do. Which jersey do they keep? Do they burn their jerseys? Do they burn the house down? Do they never touch a ball ever again? Nobody understands what's happening right now. And there's always this undertone that Wanda and icardi are dating. Like, it's pretty known that they're dating because they're doing this publicly, but they're not, like, coming out being like, hey, guys, so we're engaged. Engaged. People thought that that would be the first thing that happens, but no, instead we just get the handshake wars. Handshake, handshake wars. This becomes almost like a geopolitical discourse. This is dissected with by news stations as if we're going into like a. A UN summit, as if we're going into Davos. Okay? What they would do is anytime now, they're on separate teams. Maxi Lopez and icardi are on separate teams. And anytime two teams play against each other, they all line up in a row and they do handshakes before they run onto the field. Okay, so then. So everyone's like, wait, wait, are they gonna shake hands? Are maxi Lopez and icardi gonna shake hands?

[Podcast Co-host]

But maxi has never said anything.

[Podcast Host]

He doesn't say anything.

[Podcast Co-host]

Oh, okay.

[Podcast Host]

So they're like, is he gonna shake icardi's hand?

[Podcast Co-host]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Podcast Host]

And so we see all these. This gets more clicks than the actual soccer match. They had something called handshake cam dedicated to this. Usually nobody gives a fuck about the handshake cam because everybody just shakes each other's hands. There's nothing really crazy about it. It's supposed to be about sportsmanship, right? Who cares about sportsmanship? But now that it's Maxi and Icardi, they're like, we gotta get the handshake camp. And even for, like the 48 hours before a game, people are on all the sports channels, espn, and is like, are they going to shake hands? Only time will tell. Last time they didn't. Last time, we thought we saw some contact. But no, it was a snub. It was this. I mean, they're genuinely talking about it. Like, we dissect politicians, handshakes.

[Podcast Co-host]

At the end of the day, we're all just nosy ass people.

[Podcast Host]

And every single time, Maxi Lopez does not shake icardi's hand ever. Never, ever, ever. It's like, immortalized in the history of soccer. The pettiness is solidified in memes. He never shakes his hand. And as Wanda and Icardi's relationship gets a lot more public, people are trying to understand how it happened. Is this the reason that maxi Lopez and Wanda broke up, or is it not? Now Wanda. Now people are getting suspicious because wanda was yapping her mouth to a reporter, saying that she was unhappy. He's leaving the bachelor life, and she's just raising these three sons. Meanwhile, Maxi Lopez eventually comes out and is like, that's not true at all. Like, this divorce happened when we were good. Nothing bad was happening in our relationship, and then we got a divorce, and then turns out she's dating a cardi. So you can come to your own conclusions. We don't know what the truth is. Was Wanda already considering dating a cardi? And then she starts leaking information to the press where she's like, no, I'm so miserable. So that eventually, when she does break up with Maxi Lopez and then moves on, people are be going to and be like, oh, well, it was maxi's fault for ignoring her. And also, there's a lot of leaks where it just seems like maxi doesn't know how to hold it down in the bedroom. That was the vibe it was giving. And Maxi, like, he's just not.

[Podcast Co-host]

He's not based on what leaks?

[Podcast Host]

Just basically Wanda, you know? And then maxi is like, no, the sheets were still warm okay. When you left.

[Podcast Co-host]

What?

[Podcast Host]

It's just like, we don't know if we. Was this cheating? How many codes were broken? That's what people want to know.

[Podcast Co-host]

What does like, sheets still warm when you were leaving mean?

[Podcast Host]

It's like, we're still doing it. We're still in love. And then all of a sudden, like, you're cheating. You're cheating, you know?

[Podcast Co-host]

Oh, when you're cheating, my sheets are still warm. You just got your ass out of the sheets.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, it could be that, or we're also still romantically involved, and you're cheating, you know?

[Podcast Co-host]

Oh, got it.

[Podcast Host]

You know, versus, like, Wanda made it seem like. Like, I've been alone for so long. Yes, we're married, but he's never home. I'm alone, and in my loneliness, I may have found happiness. You know, that was kind of her vibe. And he's like, what are you talking about?

[Podcast Co-host]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

What are you saying, lady? So we don't know what the truth is. You can come to your own conclusion, but people are trying to find the timeline. Was she seeing a Cardi before the divorce, Was it after? Was he a rebound that turned into something serious, or was this the plan all along? She, like, plotted it. She was like, you know what? I kind of like that one. And so she divorces Maxi Lopez and then starts dating. Or did the dating start happening when she was still married? Like, people are trying to understand what this is. There's also, like, lots of bizarre leaks that start happening. There's a paparazzi picture of all of them at the son's birthday party. So it's Maxie and Wanda's son's birthday. There's this birthday party with all of their three sons. But then, like, Icardi is there, and there's a whole, like, paparazzi picture of it. And it just looks really uncomfortable that they're all there in the same room celebrating the son's birthday.

[Podcast Co-host]

Oh, this is in their future. Okay.

[Podcast Host]

No, this is happening right now. Yeah.

[Podcast Co-host]

So they do group, like birthday celebrations.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. And so everyone's like, what's happening? Like, it's getting serious. Right. And then there's a leaked phone call. We don't know how it's leaked, but it's leaked where? It's Maxi screaming at Wanda, who's like, next time, if you ever let that guy into another birthday party, I'm gonna rip both of yalls heads off. If you thought HBO's euphoria was intense in high school, saddle up. Starring Zendaya Sydney Sweeney and Jacob Elordi. Season three of Euphoria picks up five years later, and life looks very different. Now. These characters are on their own with the freedom to make choices that can build them or break them. No matter what they're chasing. Money, fame, power, love, or redemption, no one can escape their fate. Don't miss the third season of euphoria, premiering April 12th on HBO and HBO. Max. So good, so good, so good. New spring arrivals are at Nordstrom Rack stores. Now get ready to save big with up to 60% off rag and bone. Marc Jacobs, free people and more. How did I not know Rack has Adidas? Because there's always something new. Join the Nordy club to unlock exclusive discounts. Shop new arrivals first and more. Plus, buy online and pick up at your favorite Rack store for free. Great brands, great prices.

[Commercial Voice]

That's why you rack ondeck is built to back small businesses like yours. Whether you're buying equipment, expanding your team, or bridging cash flow, gaps on Deck's loans up to $400,000. Make it happen fast. Rated A by the Better Business Bureau and earning thousands of five star trust pilot reviews. Ondeck delivers funding you can count on. Apply in [e-mail] depending on certain loan attributes, your business loan may be issued by Ondeck or Celtic Bank. Ondeck does not lend in North Dakota. All loans in amounts sub under approval.

[Podcast Host]

And then, and then Icardi does something absolutely insane. He gets Wanda and Maxi Lopez's son's names tattooed on him. What? Tattooed?

[Podcast Co-host]

Literally? Why?

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, so this whole fallout between Maxi Lopez and Icardi is like a global catastrophe in. It's just like a mess to the point where people come up with a new slang for it. Instead of saying like, oh, you got cheated on, they say like, you got ecardied, which means you got cheated on with your partner and your friend. So it's like a very specific term. It's like worse than cheating. It's when your friend cheats with your partner and it becomes a whole ass verb. You got Icardi. I think in this situation, a lot of people were expecting some sort of at least display of shame from Icardi, whether he goes into hiding and he only focuses on soccer, football, and he doesn't post and he doesn't go on social media. Maybe he even deletes his social media where he deletes all of his previous posts. But that's not at all what he does. He does not hide in shame. Instead, he uses Twitter like it's a public diary. He'll be out there posting stuff like, like good night to you at Wanda. I need one of these kisses. And this is, this is like before the divorce is finalized. So they announced that they're getting divorced. But like, divorce papers take a very long time, especially between Maxi and Wanda, where there's a lot of assets and Maxi thinks that he's entitled to more assets because it was his career. And then like there's like a back and forth. But he's. They're still legally married. Annie Cardi is posting I need a kiss from you, Wanda, who is still legally the wife of somebody else. And people are just confused. There is no code of soccer. There's no bro code for Icardi. He's setting all the codes on fire and then fucking roasting marshmallows over the flames and just expects us to be happy with it. It's just crazy. But then, but then, here's what's weird. You know, when, when a love story is so insane, like Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, because at the end of the day, Brad Pitt was still mar to Jennifer, aniston Yeah.

[Podcast Co-host]

I mean, I don't know anything about those.

[Podcast Host]

Angelina jolie. Brad pitt was married to Jennifer aniston. He does the Mr. And Mrs. Smith movie with Angelina jolie. Then he gets a divorce and he marries Angelina jolie.

[Podcast Co-host]

Oh, gee.

[Podcast Host]

Okay. But then they stay together for so long, and they have so many beautiful children together that people start thinking, okay, well, yeah, what they did was wrong. What they did was wrong. But maybe they're soulmates. Like, maybe they're meant to be together. So people start kind of around 2014, they start shifting. Like, maybe icardi and wanda are soulmates. Like, maybe that's why they're so blatant about it. That's why Icardi is not even upset. And because icardi is so blatant and not ashamed of what he's done to his former teammate, maybe maxi did something fucked up that we just don't know about. Like, maybe he is a fucked up guy. People start kind of of trying to wrap their minds around it. And in 2014, the two of them, wanda and icardi, announced that they're gonna get married. And people start doing true love posts. They're doing magazines of her in bridal gowns. And it's saying, like, the love story, Everything starts getting love washed. It no longer becomes, you got ecardied to, oh, my gosh, look at this modern fairy tale of another footballer and his wag. People are starting to drown out the noise of the betrayal. They're moving on. They just want another love story. Oh, another thing. Icardi, he'll score a goal, and he'll dedicate his goals to wanda. And I was thinking, like, what do you mean? He's, like, dedicating the goals to Wanda. Like, you know how Korean soccer players, they'll, like, kiss their ring and, like, point at their wife because they're married. You know, a lot of players will, like, kiss their wedding ring and then, you know, put their hand in the sky. And then their wife is like, me, right? But then he. He pulled out a whole shirt that's like, love, wanda. He scores a goal, runs to grab a white t shirt, and he's, like, holding up this t shirt that's like, love, wanda, basically. Wow, he's so shameless about all of this. And then. And then he writes a book. He writes a book. He comes out with a book. Just when everyone's like, this is gonna be a love story. This is true love. This is their soulmates. He comes out with the book, and we go, oh, oh, what what the hell? So he writes in his book, book, the whole love story unravels when he was gonna fly to the US For a match, and Wanda DMS him asking him to buy her an iPad. Like, she's gonna pay for the iPad. Just, like, get the iPad because it's cheaper in the US So buy the iPad and bring it to me. Icardi, being the world's most self aware homewrecker, actually writes in his book along the lines of, like, did she really want the iPad? Or was she just looking for an excuse to get in touch with me? Me? And then the story moves on to the infamous boat trip. I don't know if icardi thinks that we don't understand social media and timelines, but he writes this book where he's like, so what happened was we were on a yacht. It was with. It was with Wanda and Maxi Lopez.

[Podcast Co-host]

And is this book like his diary of their love story? Is that what it was?

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, it's like a biography. Autobiography, basically. Like a memoir. Okay, okay. So then he's like a fifth wife wheel. It's like a fifth wheel on this yacht trip, and he's writing about it. And he said that was the moment that everything changed because after Maxi Lopez and everybody else went to sleep, he and Wanda stayed up and they just had these intimate chats.

[Podcast Co-host]

That's crazy.

[Podcast Host]

Okay, but what's crazier is that we actually have a photo from this trip that we didn't know what was happening behind the scenes when we got this photo. But now, in hindsight, it has been dubbed the Trojan horse moment. It's a picture of Wanda, Maxi Lopez, and Icardi on this yacht. Oh, yeah. And why is it called the Trojan horse? You know what the Trojan horse is? It's like in. It's like a wartime thing where you have this horse, you know, the Trojan war. Okay. So you put the enemies in the horse, you think it's an empty horse, but then, boom, it basically means the enemy is already inside.

[Podcast Co-host]

Okay, you're saying Icardi is the horse.

[Podcast Host]

Trojan horse moment doesn't mean he's the horse. Doesn't mean he's inside the horse. The meaning behind Trojan horse moment is that I mean by the time that the enemy is inside the house, it's too late.

[Podcast Co-host]

Too late.

[Podcast Host]

There's nothing else that you can do. And that's exactly what Cardi says in his book. He's like, while everybody else is asleep, I'm having these intimate talks with Wanda, and I'm feeling zero guilt about it. So while Maxi Lopez thinks that he's just hosting a friend on a family vacation, he was actually chaperoned. The start of an affair involving his wife. And instead of hiding from all of this hate, they basically lean into it. Wanda and Icardi, they do they were not sorry apology tour. They just move forward like they're in some sort of war, and it's them against the world. And that's why people feel like maybe they were meant to be soul mates. So in 2014, they did.

[Podcast Co-host]

So people don't like both of them.

[Podcast Host]

Them. Yeah. Yeah. But Icardi is a little bit more memed than Wanda is. Like, okay, no, I think Wanda gets the real hate. Wanda gets the real hate of, like, home records, horse. Whatever applies. Okay, whatever. You want to slap a label on a girl, okay? She's getting all of that. Icardi, on the other hand, is kind of getting the homewrecker thing, but he's just getting memed. Like, he's just a meme. He's not really being hated now. In 2014, they did this whole Pepsi commercial that has since gone viral. Okay? It's mainly Icardi, and it starts with him in the locker room, and there's, like, this Pepsi bottle behind a glass cage. Like, one of those fire extinguishers behind the glass, and you have to break the glass, and it says, like, do not touch what is not yours or something like that. Do not touch what is not yours or, like, what doesn't belong to you. And he breaks open the glass, and he takes off the lid of the Pepsi bottle. Okay? And then he goes around, he's hugging his teammates, and as he's hugging them, he's twisting off the lid of their Pepsi bottles. So is this whole promotion that if you steal. Not if you steal, but if you have, like, seven Pepsi bottle lids, you could get a free Pepsi at participating locations.

[Podcast Co-host]

Right, but the whole reason they did that is leaning into it. Right?

[Podcast Host]

And then at the end. At the end, from his last heist of the Pepsi bottle lid, there's, like, a McLaren waiting. I don't know if it's a McLaren Lamborghini whatever. Whatever. Waiting outside getaway car. And there's Wanda driving the car, and he gets in, and they just skirt off.

[Podcast Co-host]

Yo, why is it always Pepsi?

[Podcast Host]

Pepsi is always at the scene of the crime. Yeah, Pepsi is always at the scene of the crime.

[Podcast Co-host]

The Jenner one's also Pepsi, right? Is it the Jenner?

[Podcast Host]

The Kris Jet. Not Kris Jenner. Kendall Jenner. Yes. Why did her Name Just. Yes. Kendall Jenner. Scene of the crime. Always seen in the crime. Okay. And there was just zero shame. Everybody was like, what is happening? And this is airing like prime time TV locations, probably in between Maxi Lopez's football matches. By May 2014, they're getting married in a civil ceremony. And the whole thing, I mean, it was supposed to just be like a warm up. And their big wedding. This is where it gets really crazy. It feels like it's the wedding of the royal family. Family. They've got armed guards with rifles standing about. Everybody is supposed to turn in their phones so they can't leak anything, so that they can't do anything. And the pictures come out. They do all these wedding video promos that are just over the top and kind of cringy. Yeah. I don't know whose idea it was, but they do like a Pride and Prejudice themed wedding video. It's weird. It's just weird. I don't even know how to describe it other than, like, I can show it to you, but it's just weird. It's just some. It's like if your nemesis in high school posts a wedding video and you're like, you would have a weird video like that, you know, and then you judge them and then you're like, you know what? That's what you get for bullying people in high school. It's kind of like that. But they're rich and famous, so I don't know why they did it like that. But they have this massive wedding. It looks somehow romantic, despite how their relationship even starts. And people thought, this is it. This is like the Bonnie and Clyde story. All the other players, yeah, they have the Cinderella stories and like, that's the story that Wanda had with Maxi Lopez. But now this is the Bonnie and Clyde. This is the ride or die. This is the us against the world. This is the who cares if they don't understand us kind of love. And people start idolizing it and they're like, you know what? We can maybe get behind it.

[Podcast Co-host]

Is it 2014?

[Podcast Host]

2014. We got a lot.

[Podcast Co-host]

12 years to go, huh? Damn.

[Podcast Host]

And then immediately after that, they have kids. And my Argentinian researcher was like, okay, so that's the thing with a lot of traditional families in Argentina. The minute that you have kids, she's untouchable.

[Podcast Co-host]

Like, this is a real family. Maybe.

[Podcast Host]

Yes. And then, like, when you talk Wanda, it's almost like, why are you trying to break up a family?

[Podcast Co-host]

Right, Right. Okay.

[Podcast Host]

So they go on and they have two daughters and they start co Parenting. So they'll watch the three sons that she had from the previous relationship with Maxi Lopez. And then they also have their two daughters, and he gets all of their names tattooed on his arm. And it's just, like, a lot. It's gonna be a lot later when you find out what happens, because you thought this was a happy love story. You thought this was the end of the months. We're still, like, 20% there.

[Podcast Co-host]

Okay. All right.

[Podcast Host]

And in 2016, she becomes Icardi's official wife. Ajar. So wife and agent and manager by 2016. And up until 2016, I would say that their relationship, by most accounts, seems stable enough. It was all about, like, their two favorite or three favorite words are strength, loyalty, and family. Like, they're just really honing in, and it's like. Yeah. And they're trying to, like, normalize the picture of them being together. So they would just do these copious amounts of live streams where they're just sitting on the couch, chit chatting with everybody on the live stream next to each other. And people got used to seeing them together more than they got used to seeing Wanda with Maxi Lopez. So this becomes the new normal, and everyone's like, oh, yeah, like, this is just a couple that now we accept. But then, like, once in a while, people go, do you remember how they got together? Like, it's one of those things where nobody really brings it up anymore because you've seen so much of them. They're so. So saturated. They're everywhere. So then suddenly, she becomes the wife of Jer in 2016, and this is when the relationship takes another shift, because it goes from strength, loyalty, to family. And now Wanda's out here making money moves. And Wanda. Wanda knows what she's doing, and she's smart at it. She's a very intelligent woman, but she sometimes, I don't know if it's like she has a well thought out plan and it ends up backfiring or sometimes, like most men, you know, the emotions get ahead of her, and she just starts rapid firing Instagram posts, random story mid negotiations. Like, she just becomes way too vocal, which a lot of the older institutions in soccer did not appreciate. For example, Icardi gets signed to an Italian team, and he actually gets named the captain of the team. And the captain is really important. The captain is not like, oh, you're the star player of the team, so you're going to be captain. It's a huge deal to be captain. Captains are seen as the mediators, so they're handling the Stress from the owners of the team. They're like, you guys better fucking get it together. And then they're handling the stress of all the teammates that are like, we're overworked, we're exhausted, we're dying. Like, this isn't fair. And then they're complaining to the captain and they're supposed to be able to handle all these things in a very diplomatic way. They're in charge of the locker room. They're in charge of the code of conduct from the players. They're in charge of like, if one of their teammates is really rude to another team, they're kind of the one that gets the fallback of that. Because you're the captain, you're supposed to keep everybody in check. What's happening Icardi is not that I don't even really know how he gets named captain. And that's not to say that he's not a, like, he's an incredible player, but he doesn't like press conferences, for one. That's a huge thing. Captains are all about vague. If you know how to be vague and not answer the question while answering a question. If you know how to be a politician, you're probably going to be the captain of the the team because you're supposed to say things to not offend the teams, not offend other players, not offend the fans, not offend the owners, not offend the institution while still answering a question that is basically setting you up to offend one of those people. And he doesn't like that. He does not like that at all. He's not, like I said, he doesn't love the whole, like, team unit. It seems like he's a really good player. I don't know if he. I mean, obviously I don't think, think it's slanderous to say that he doesn't respect the bonds of the team when he just got with his ex teammate's wife. So he's, he's an interesting captain. And Wanda just starts doing some crazy things. I think when you think team captain, you're picturing like a very solid person. And then you got the team captain's wife going to talk show saying, we do it 12 times a day. And everyone's like, I don't think we need to know this. Yeah. She's like, we do it. We do the. Do he scoring a goal 12 times a day in the bedroom. And so everyone's like, what is happening? This is like the captain of the team. And every time she says something, it's going to go viral. Obviously, some people are really mad at her for these statements. I think that's crazy. Other people are saying, look at her. She's just girl bossing all the way to the sun. Like, these are little comments that people are leaving. And then this is where it gets really bad. Bad soccer fans, I think at this point, they don't really care. They like Icardi. They like what he does on the field. They think it's a scandal. But like any other male pro athlete, a scandal of any sort of crime or any sort of moral, ethical dilemma does not impact their career. The fans are like, I don't care what he does in his personal life. I don't care if he's a convicted felon. I love him. I love sticking their balls in my mouth. Mouth. That's what they do. And so they have no problem with this at all. Up until Wanda comes around and she starts complaining that Icardi's teammates are not giving him good passes. She starts publicly stating that they barely give him five good balls, meaning, like, five good passes that he needs to score. So she's almost saying he's not scoring because he's not getting the balls from the teammates. And the other teammates are shit. Like, my husband is a genius, but he's surrounded by losers who can't pass him a ball. That's the energy. Her words are coming out, and it's like a declaration of war. The fans go insane. And like the fans that I'm telling you about, a lot of these super fans are also heavily misogynistic. So they just hate the fact that this wife is outspoken and they have now deemed Icardi not good anymore because he's being controlled by a woman. So he. He's like. He's just letting her walk him by the balls, and they're commenting things like that. And they're so upset, they start posting videos of them lighting his jerseys on fire. There's like, a group of super fans who will chant for like, 90 minutes at soccer games. I don't know how they don't lose their voice, but they mobbed him almost as he's walking out of a game. They're, like, throwing their. His jersey back at them. They bought his jerseys. They're throwing it back at him. Them. They're really upset over this. And, I mean, there's multiple folds of why they're upset. They first think it's unprofessional for a captain's wife to be putting down the team. Yeah, when you're the captain and you're the captain's wife. Like, that's the last thing a captain should do. Second of all, they don't like that she's so outspoken. And then they're like, you also can't be outspoken when you've got a crazy history. Like, you should check your digital footprint before you start saying some crazy shit. Like, that's what they're saying. And quickly after that, it just became like an institutional execution. February the 29th, they caved into the. The soccer team caves into the pressure, and they immediately strip Icardi of his captain armband.

[Podcast Co-host]

Yeah, but he's still there.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, he's still there. But this is like, a huge ordeal considering it's not just a demotion. Usually when you get stripped of your armband in a way that's unplanned, like, you didn't retire. You're not slowing down your career, you're not focusing on your family, you're not switching teams, and they strip you of your armband. It's a very symbolic message to the world and to any other future teams that might want you, that you're problematic or controversial, that you are not equipped to lead. So it becomes almost like a bad thing. It's almost like, technically, it should be better that you were captain for, like, a little bit. But it's a bad thing when you're stripped of your title of captain, because once you take away something now, it's like, wait, why did they take that away from you? There must be something wrong with you. So it just became a very, very bad thing. And at this point, the narrative starts shifting completely. People stop blaming Icardi, and they just now start blaming Wanda. Once he gets stripped of his captain title, the fans come back around and they're like, oh, my God, it's his wife that's ruining him. Look at this poor man. Because his wife can't keep her goddamn mouth shut. People just start going after her, saying that her ego is growing larger than the footballers. She thinks that she's the footballer. She's willing to burn down multimillion dollar contracts just to make sure that she's the main character of the story, even if it means torching her husband's own professional dignity in the of. Process. Process there. This is like the point of no return. In Argentina, they have a saying that's very similar to here, which is like, they say, you don't spin on the barbecue, and we say, you don't where you eat. Same thing. So, like, she did that. She did exactly that. And now it's like, there's no return from this. And by after that, after he gets stripped of his captain armband, things start brewing in the Icardi household. We don't know what, because Wanda isn't that vocal yet. She kind of learned to tone it down after that whole five good balls comment. But you can kind of tell if you go through their Instagram, Wanda stops posting Icardi and she mainly posts the kids. And it's all about family loyalty, but, like, not the husband, just family loyalty, being a mom. And it's just the kids, kids, kids, kids, kids, kids. And then all of a sudden, you know, Icardi would stop posting. But the minute that he was in another scandal or there was another situation where throughout his career, I would say that Icardi had his own situations where he just maintained that very individualistic approach. And he got into a lot of tricky situations even in other teams. Like, remember how growing up, his parents would like, bring the food to the side and then he just, like, would never fully immerse with the other teammates. He kept doing that in other, other teams. And so people started feeling like he thought that he was too good for people. And it just became like a whole thing. Soccer fans were getting annoyed with it. There's like a whole drama with that. And every time some drama would climax and take over the Internet, he would start posting the kids. Almost like a bulletproof vest. It's like, you got a problem. Post the kid, post the kid. Like that's what they were doing. And people were like, it's not working because we know what you're doing. They're like, you can't hate me. I'm a mom. You can't hate me. I'm a dad. Like, that was the vibe that they were giving until Saturday, October 16, 2021. We're still. We're still five years out. Okay, 2021, what year is the climax? Oh, it's starting now, but it continues like this is where it hits the climax.

[Podcast Co-host]

2021 starting.

[Podcast Host]

And then it just is a high climax until like a few months ago.

[Podcast Co-host]

Oh, dang.

[Podcast Host]

It's like a five year long.

[Podcast Co-host]

Okay.

[Podcast Host]

Exhausted. Yeah.

[Podcast Co-host]

Okay. Wow.

[Podcast Host]

2021. Everything as we know in the digital world is normal, perfectly safe. By Saturday night, Wanda has burned the entire shit down. Okay. She's trying to take down Instagram and Meta with her. Her. Within minutes, people from Italy, Argentina, Peru, Spain, they're all screaming in their group chats. I'm pretty sure your grandma, who knows anything about football, who's in a Care home. Ask her about it and she'll probably know without a single warning. Wanda. Seven million Instagram followers.

[Podcast Co-host]

Damn.

[Podcast Host]

One Instagram post. Story, story, story. White text on a black background. Of course it is. Okay? That's how you know someone is about to get fucked or someone fucked up. That's it. Like there's no other options. It's one of those two. And someone's about to get fucked up. She writes. This is the translation. Another family you destroyed, you cunt. Homewrecker. What do you mean?

[Podcast Co-host]

Is there a At?

[Podcast Host]

No, there's no ad. There's no ad.

[Podcast Co-host]

Do we know who she's talking about?

[Podcast Host]

We don't know yet, but this is the minute everyone went. They put their glasses on, they got their computer. They had their computer in one. They had TikToks and Instagram playing on their phone and they were. We got her.

[Podcast Co-host]

Okay.

[Podcast Host]

They find her, they find the At. Cunt. Homewrecker. Uh huh. And that's where I leave you for part two. What?

[Podcast Co-host]

What are you saying right now?

[Podcast Host]

That's where I leave you for part two. Oh, it's gonna get crazy. They find the woman. Maybe she is a serial homewrecker, maybe she's not. Maybe there's another divorce looming. Maybe there's not a rapper comes into the mix. Ooh, ooh, ooh.

[Podcast Co-host]

How many character is here?

[Podcast Host]

Six other families, six more people. What? And then there's a rapper that gets a involved. All I'm saying is Maxi Lopez seems like he was trying to handle the situation a little normally. Okay, when you have a partnership of two people, one of them is a little calmer and one of them is a little crazier and something explodes. It's only going to be 50% the impact. As if you were to have a couple where both of them are a little cocoa bananas.

[Podcast Co-host]

Yeah, you can turn into a tornado.

[Podcast Host]

Oh my God. And it's all gonna be on Instagram. So stay tuned for part two and I'll see you in the next one. Why have we asked our contractor we found on Angie.com to be our kids legal guardian? Because he took such good care when redoing our basement that we knew we could trust him to care for our kids. All eight of them, should something happen to us. Are you my dad now?

[Commercial Voice]

No, sorry. I do basements. Connecting homeowners with skilled pros for over 30 years. Angie, the one you trust to find the ones you trust. Find pros for all your home [e-mail].

[Podcast Host]

i need to start off the new

[Commercial Announcer]

year right by getting the most for my money.

[Commercial Voice]

I just opened a go to bank

[Podcast Host]

account and it's paying off out the gate. I want to save money on filing my taxes. Look no further than GoToBank. You'll get 20% off TurboTax when filing your 2025 taxes.

[Commercial Announcer]

That sounds like a great way to start the year.

[Commercial Voice]

Open your GoToBank account today and get started.

[Commercial Announcer]

Learn more at GoToBank.com tax green.bank member FDIC.