Are Nicki Nicole & Lamine Yamal Dating? 9 Latin Music Stars You Didn\u2019t Know Were Soccer WAGs<\/p>\n
A new power couple has entered the chat: Nicki Nicole<\/a> and Lamine Yamal.<\/p>\n More from Billboard<\/strong><\/p>\n Speculations of a romance sparked when the Argentine singer and rapper, 24, allegedly kissed<\/a> the Spanish professional footballer at his 18th birthday celebration in mid-July. Most recently, the \u201cWapo Traketero\u201d singer was invited as a VIP guest (alongside Bizarrap) at the 47th edition of the Joan Gamper Trophy, where FC Barcelona (team where Yamal is a winger) won over Italian club Como 1907 with a 5-0 victory on Sunday, Aug. 10. During the match, Nicki \u2014 who\u2019s making the rounds with 2025 singles \u201cMasna Remix,\u201d \u201cHace Rato,\u201d \u201cblackout,\u201d and \u201cVulnerable\u201d \u2014 was spotted wearing Yamal\u2019s jersey.<\/p>\n Though the artist and soccer star have yet to make their relationship public, sources confirmed to Billboard on Monday (Aug. 11) that they are indeed dating.<\/p>\n \/\/platform.instagram.com\/en_US\/embeds.js<\/span><\/p>\n But beyond the new couple, soccer and music have always meshed well. Some of Latin music\u2019s biggest artists, such as Maluma, Carlos Vives, Melendi, and Fito Pa\u00e9z have proven to be passionate f\u00fatbol aficionados, while soccer stars such as Jos\u00e9 Manuel Pinto (former goalkeeper for Barcelona FC) and Jese \u201cJey M\u201d Rodriguez (former striker for Real Madrid), have not shied away from kicking off their own music careers.<\/p>\n The best example, when it comes to romance however, are soccer superstar David Beckham and former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham, whose dreamy love story began over 25 years ago, and who have since welcomed four children: Brooklyn, Romeo, Cruz, and Harper.<\/p>\n Another popular soccer-and-music power couple were Shakira and Gerard Piqu\u00e9, who met during the 2010 World Cup and share two children, Sasha and Milan. Unfortunately, after a 12-year relationship, the Colombian artist and Barcelona defender announced their split in June 2022.\u00a0 \u201cWe regret to confirm that we are separating,\u201d the two said in a joint statement released by Shakira\u2019s public relations firm. \u201cFor the well-being of our children, who are our highest priority, we ask that you respect our privacy. Thank you for your understanding.\u201d<\/p>\n Like the previously named, there has been several famous soccer WAGS (the term given to the wives and girlfriends of athletes) in the Latin music realm. Below, check out some past and present real-life couples who blended the two worlds.<\/p>\n 1. Anitta & Vinicius Souza<\/p>\n One of the most recent but short-lived relationships between an artist and athlete was Anitta and Vinicius Souza, who briefly dated in 2024. The Brazilian footballer who plays for VfL Wolfsburg shared a since-deleted Instagram post with various photos of him and the Brazilian singer together. \u201cCollecting memories,\u201d he captioned the post, according to People<\/a>. After reportedly breaking up earlier this year, Souza got back<\/a> with his longtime partner, Isabella Michel.<\/p>\n 2. Becky G & Sebastian Lletget<\/p>\n In Dec. 2022, Mexican-American pop artist Becky G and her longtime boyfriend, soccer player Sebastian Lletget (midfielder for FC Dallas)\u2014who began dating in 2016\u2014got engaged. \u201cOur spot forever,\u201d they captioned the joint post on Instagram. A couple of months later, it was rumored that Lletget cheated on the singer, causing her to stop wearing her engagement ring and stop attending public events with him. It\u2019s unclear if they have since rekindled their relationship or not.<\/p>\n 3. Belinda & Giovani Dos Santos <\/p>\n Belinda and Olympic gold medalist Giovani Dos Santos first met in 2006 while on the set of Disney\u2019s Cheetah Girls 2 in Barcelona. Three years later, the Mexican pop star and Dos Santos, who played for Barcelona, Tottenham Hotspur, and LA Galaxy, among other clubs, announced they were dating. However, their relationship lasted nearly a year.<\/p>\n 4. Camila Sodi & Chicharrito<\/p>\n In 2017, photos<\/a> of Mexican actress and singer Camila Sodi with Mexican soccer star Javier \u201cChicharrito\u201d Hernandez in Paris confirmed the couple were an item. The relationship didn\u2019t last long, primarily due to pressure from the media. \u201cWe couldn\u2019t handle the long-distance relationship,\u201d Sodi said in an interview with Vanity Fair<\/a>. \u201cA lot of changes, a lot of ugly things surrounding something beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n 5. Dulce Maria & Guillermo Ochoa<\/p>\n In the early 2000s, Dulce Mar\u00eda and Guillermo \u201cMemo\u201d Ochoa began dating. At the time of their relationship, in 2005, Dulce formed part of the hit TV show Rebelde and Mexican pop group RBD; whereas Memo had just debuted with Club America. After a year of dating, the \u201cit\u201d couple called it quits due to their busy agendas. That same year, Memo debuted as goalkeeper of the Mexican National Team.<\/p>\n 6. Nicki Nicole & Lamine Yamal<\/p>\n Sources confirmed to Billboard that Nicki and Lamine are the new \u201cit\u201d couple in soccer and music. Although the couple has yet to make their relationship \u201cInstagram official,\u201d the 24-year-old artist\u2014who previously dated Peso Pluma and Trueno\u2014has already been spotted supporting her new boyfriend at his soccer matches and wearing his jersey. Amid the dating news, Nicki is currently making the rounds with four new singles released in 2025, following her 2024 album NAIKI.<\/p>\n 7. Shakira & Gerard Piqu\u00e9 <\/p>\n One of the most iconic relationships in sports and music was between Shakira and Piqu\u00e9 of FC Barcelona, who met while she was promoting her 2010 World Cup anthem, \u201cWaka Waka (This Time for Africa).\u201d After a 12-year relationship\u2014resulting in two sons, Milan and Sasha\u2014the couple called it quits in 2022. \u201cI feel like in this moment of my life, which is probably one of the most difficult, darkest hours of my life, music has brought light,\u201d Shakira previously said in an\u00a0Elle\u00a0<\/a>cover story.<\/p>\n 8. TINI & Rodrigo De Paul<\/p>\n Argentine pop star TINI and Rodrigo De Paul (midfielder for La Liga club Atl\u00e9tico Madrid and the Argentina national football team) made their relationship Instagram-official in 2022. Although the couple is not longer dater, TINI was very supportive of her then-boyfriend during the World Cup by flying to Qatar for a match and posting on social media. De Paul also posted an appreciation post for the \u201cTriple T\u201d singer: \u201cWhen this madness started, I told you that I was not going to fail you, that I was going to stay until the last day, and here we are keeping our word\u2026 I will hug you soon, wait a little longer\u2026 THANK YOU. I love you,\u201d he shared.<\/p>\n 9. Xuxa & Pel\u00e9<\/p>\n One of the most memorable first soccer WAGS was Brazilian singer and TV star Xuxa (real name: Maria da Gra\u00e7a Xuxa Meneghel), who dated former Brazilian soccer star Pel\u00e9 (real name: Edson Arantes do Nascimento). The couple, who met in the entertainment industry, dated for nearly seven years in the early \u201980s, but their age gap became the center of media attention. Xuxa was 17 and Pel\u00e9 was 40 when their romance began.<\/p>\n Best of Billboard<\/strong><\/p>\n Sign up for Billboard’s Newsletter<\/a>. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook<\/a>, Twitter<\/a>, and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n1. Anitta & Vinicius Souza<\/h2>\n
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2. Becky G & Sebastian Lletget<\/h2>\n
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3. Belinda & Giovani Dos Santos<\/h2>\n
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4. Camila Sodi & Chicharrito<\/h2>\n
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5. Dulce Maria & Guillermo Ochoa<\/h2>\n
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6. Nicki Nicole & Lamine Yamal<\/h2>\n
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7. Shakira & Gerard Piqu\u00e9<\/h2>\n
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8. TINI & Rodrigo De Paul<\/h2>\n
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9. Xuxa & Pel\u00e9<\/h2>\n
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