Yannick Carrasco twice swapped the chance of winning major silverware to cash in abroad and live the high life with his former Miss Belgium wife
Yannick Carrasco is cheered on in Saudi Arabia by his stunning wife Noemie Happart
Yannick Carrasco became the first Belgian to score in a Champions League final in Atletico Madrid's painful loss to bitter rivals Real Madrid.
The versatile winger and full-back had the world at his feet in 2016 after joining the La Liga outfit from Monaco. He was one of Belgium's brightest stars at the high-point of their golden generation and was linked to a switch to Premier League giants Arsenal.
But after just three years with Diego Simeone's side, he made a shock move to Chinese Super League newcomers Dalian Professional - a club owned by Atleti's partial owners Dalian Wanda Group - to pocket cash by the bucketload on an estimated £180,000-per-week.
Eyebrows were raised across Europe by a player in his prime agreeing to switch challenging for major honours for treading water in China. And it was no surprise when he returned to Atletico on loan, where he played a key role in lifting the La Liga title in 2020–21.
Yet four years later he was chasing another big payday and made the switch to Saudi Pro League club Al Shabab, for a £220,000-per-week wage. But Carrasco, who turned 32 last month, doesn't seem too fazed by his questionable move - and is certainly enjoying life in the Middle East with his beautiful wife, Noemie Happart.
Carrasco is married to the 32-year-old former Miss Belgium winner. She won the crown back in 2013 when she was still a psychology student at the University of Liege, going on to represent her nation at Miss World, where she finished in the top 20, and Miss Universe, where she didn't place.
Carrasco met her in a bar in Liege two years later and they've been inseparable ever since, marrying in June 2017. Opening up on their relationship, Happart told Belgian magazine Story: "Seducing a footballer was never one of my goals.
"When he told me he was a professional player, I was pretty suspicious. I had a fairly stereotyped image of footballers and I was afraid he had a reputation.
Noemie Happart represented Belgium at Miss World and Miss Universe
"But Yannick is a great boy, so I gave him a chance. He's a handsome guy but I was mostly charmed by his character and personality."
Happart, with whom Carrasco welcomed a daughter in May 2022, regularly shares loved-up snaps of the pair on social media and photos of her enjoying the Saudi sunshine.
The WAG is also constantly at games cheering him on. They famously shared a kissed at the 2016 Champions League final after Carrasco equalised for Atletico against Real, only to then lose the game on penalties.
Happart followed him to China in 2018, living in the Far East for two years. She's been in the crowd at major international tournaments too, cheering on her man.
Carrasco meanwhile has defended the standard of the Saudi Pro League. He said: ""People talk without knowing what the Saudi Arabia league is like.
"Players who come from Serie A or the Premier League also think it's easy, but when they are here they realise that it's not like that and that the level is very high."
His current contract with the club runs until the summer of 2027.
