‘Twerk’ question spoils Hegerberg’s historic moment
PARIS: It was meant to be a moment of triumph. Ada Hegerberg, a 23-year-old Norwegian football player, had just become the first woman to win the Ballon d’Or, one of football’s most prestigious individual honours.
But for some, the historic moment was quickly spoiled when, in an onstage exchange after her acceptance speech Monday, the French DJ Martin Solveig asked Hegerberg something that had nothing to do with her expertise: whether she knew how to twerk.
“No,” Hegerberg said, quickly dismissing the idea.
The exchange took off on social media, where critics — including some high-profile athletes — accused Solveig of sexism and assailed him for undermining a moment of professional achievement with a reference to the provocative dance move.
But even as others held up the moment as yet another example of sexism in sports, Hegerberg said she didn’t view it that way. “I wasn’t upset,” she told Associated Press. “He came to me after the situation and he apologized, but I didn’t take it as that at all.”
She said her mind was on her achievement: “I got the Ballon d’Or.”
In a Twitter post, Solveig acknowledged his comment to Hegerberg was a misstep: “This was a joke, probably a bad one.”
While FIFA introduced a women’s World Player of the Year award in 2001, the Ballon d’Or remained reserved for male players until September, when France Football’s editor announced that the magazine would honour a woman for the first time this year.
Hegerberg, who plays for the perennial French champions Olympique Lyon, has spoken up about what she says is a lack of respect for women’s football in Norway and has said she won’t play for her home country in the next Women’s World Cup.
But in her acceptance speech on Monday, Hegerberg had a message for “young girls all over the world.” She said: “Please, believe in yourselves.”