On Monday, 3rd of December he supporters of feminine football celebrated a historical moment. Ada Hegerberg became the first ever recipient of the women’s Ballon d’Or. The young Norwegian player put a crown on an already impressive career, despite being only 23 years old.
She was born in Norway and started her amateur career there. At the age of 15 she made her debut for Kolbotn and only one year later she already let the world see what we can expect from her by becoming the first ever player to have scored a hat-trick in Toppserien. ( top level of women’s football in Norway ) She finished the same season as her team’s top goal scorer and was voted the league’s Young Player of the Year. She continued the next season right where she left off by becoming the top goal scorer again with 25 goals in only 18 matches.
After one year of a small detour in Germany, in 2014 she transferred to France to play for Olympic Lyonnais , her current team. Her first season in the French city was just as beautiful as her debut in Kolbotn. She scored 26 goals in only 22 games and led Lyon to win the Division 1 Feminine title . The next two years she played just as impressively as before, leading the strongest women’s team of the world to the top of the table. She once again finished the season as the top goal scorer with 33 goals. The same year Lyon won the Coupe the France and the UEFA Women’s Champions League completing a treble and of course Hegerberg had a huge role in this triumph. She closed both of the following seasons with more than 20 goals and on the top of the League.
She became the Best Women’s Player in Europe in 2016 and was given the prize of Women’s Footballer of the Year by BBC in 2017.
Hegerberg was one of the 7 Lyon players on the list of 15 nominees this year.
“ I want to say thanks to my team-mates because this would not have been possible without them, my coach or our president Jean-Michel Aulas… I also want to thank France Football. This is a huge step for women’s football “ said Hegerberg at the ceremony in the Grand Palais of Paris.
For last, just a small reminder for the future : when Cristiano Ronaldo won his first Ballon d’Or in 2008 he was only 23 years old. Just like she is now, winning the same title for the first time .
Pálma Bruder
