England to face Ballon d’Or winner Hegerberg who moron presenter asked to twerk
Ada Hegerberg wasn't just a colossus of women's football – she was the colossus.
A giant of the women's game, she had the world at her feet and all the talent to match. The Norwegian swept up the first Ballon d'Or Feminine in 2018, but moments after accepting the award: Hegerberg was asked if she could 'twerk' by the presenter, sparking outrage.
Then just 23, Hegerberg looked to have a bright future, but a serious knee injury ruled her out of the game for the next two years. In that time women's football has evolved into a new entity, almost leaving Hegerberg behind.
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From a small Norwegian town with just over 7,000 residents, Hegerberg's initial rise to the top of the sport was staggering.
Hegerberg followed in the footsteps of her sister across Norway and then to Germany before a move to Lyon – the predominant force of the women's game – beckoned. It was in France she conquered Europe, shattering records in the process.
Hegerberg was a worth winner of the Ballon d'Or Feminine, but had her moment cruelly ruined somewhat after she was asked if she could twerk. "No," Hegerberg replied, stone-faced.
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In January 2020, in a training session for Lyon, Hegerberg ruptured her ACL.
Any hopes of a quick return to action were dashed eight months later, when she suffered a stress fracture in her leg. 20 months would pass from the initial injury before those at the Groupama OL Training Center would see her take to the field again.
“I might be a completely different player to who I used to be. And I see that in a positive way," she told the New York Times ahead of Euro 2022.
It would be unfair to say Hegerberg fell completely from view in those 20 months.
But Lyon, who had won the Champions League five times in a row, saw their European throne usurped by Barcelona. And for Hegerberg, Barcelona's shining star Alexia Putellas was now considered the planet's best player.
However, Hegerberg returned to action, and so did the Champions League to Lyon – the Norwegian bagged against Barca in the final.
Club football is only half of Hegerberg's story, the imposing striker walked out of the Norwegian national side in 2017, protesting the disregard the country’s authorities had for the women’s game.
That started a five-year exile, that only finished on the eve of Euro 2020, she said: "Coming back was a huge thing for me. I felt it was the right time."
Hegerberg lined up against Northern Ireland for Norway's opener, and while she didn't find the net, she was close to looking back to her ominous best, which could be bad news for England on Monday evening.
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