Rumour has it the Queen of Pop could soon be single. Does any man really have what it takes to keep her happy? Past relationships suggest not, says Fiona Macgregor
A FRIEND who has known Madonna for several years once told me the singer had rather spoiled him for other women, as no one could really live up to her. Clearly, the star's effect on men is an interesting one.
While many admit to having had tee
nage fantasies inspired by her provocative image, ask them if they would like her as a girlfriend and they adopt an expression somewhere between disturbed and scared.
In fact, those who quiver at her leather-clad poses and aggressive sexuality probably wouldn't attract a second glance from the Queen of Pop.
She may have a reputation as a controlling sexual predator, but when you look at her relationship history, Mad-onna clearly likes a man who can give as good as he gets.
The musician, who turns 50 next month, has repeatedly said the thing that attracted her most to her current husband, the stoney-faced (and allegedly rather dull) Guy Ritchie is that he doesn't turn to putty in her presence. "I had to marry someone as tough as me," she said. "Guy's definitely tough."
And there's no doubting the "toughness" of her first husband, Sean Penn. Described by the New York Times as a "human tempest", the actor – whom she married in 1985 –was charged with domestic assault during their marriage, which ended in 1989.
Now it looks as if a second divorce may be imminent, as rumours abound that not only has her relationship with Ritchie broken down but that there's a new man on the scene, 32-year-old baseball star Alex Rodrig-uez, a married father of two. These reports may have been vehemently denied by the singer's representatives, but the New York Yankees player, nicknamed A-Rod, has been spending hours alone with the singer and accompanied her to charity events.
But does he have what it takes to be Mr Madonna? The performer, not known for her lack of confidence, has declared in the past that "it takes a really big man to fill my shoes". But what about filling the shoes of her previous lovers? A-Rod certainly has an interesting selection to match.
It was while filming the video for Material Girl in 1985 that she began dating Sean Penn: the pair were married within a year. But the volatile relationship may have been doomed from the start: "I was obsessed with my career and not ready to be generous," she later said.
There was a brief fling with Warren Beatty, her co-star on the film Dick Tracy in 1989; then she fell for Tony Ward, a bisexual Calvin Klein model who starred in her videos for Cherish and Justify My Love – an interesting departure from her usual taste in men.
Whatever the attraction, it didn't last and by 1991 she was dating the rather more macho rapper Vanilla Ice.
Her rejection of shrinking violets continued as she moved on to the notoriously foul-mouthed basketball player Dennis Rodman, six feet eight inches tall and heavily pierced and tattooed.
She is also said to have had an affair with John F Kennedy Jr, much to the distress of his mother, Jackie Onassis.
In 1994, Madonna met fitness trainer Carlos Leon in New York's Central Park: he fathered her daughter, Lourdes, born in 1996. In the late 1990s, a fling with impoverished British writer Andy Bird led to a cringe-worthy tabloid kiss-and-tell, but shortly after that she met Ritchie, through their mutual friend Sting.
The couple had a son, Rocco, in August 2000 and in December that year they married at Skibo Castle in Scotland. But their marriage has reportedly been unsteady for several years and may finally have hit the rocks.
Could Rodriguez be the man to win Madonna's heart for good? It seems unlikely. Known as "the cooler", for his habit of dampening team spirits each time he signs for a new club, he has won scant praise for his personality.
Even if she leaves Ritchie for him, there's little chance A-Rod will be the man who ultimately tames Madonna.
The full article contains 719 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
