The female footballer who became the first to win the Ballon d'Or in has spoken at length about the awkward and controversial moment she was asked by an emcee if she could "twerk" after receiving her award.
Ada Hegerberg penned her entire experience at the Ballon d'Or ceremony in the Players' Tribune, calling her piece "Not Here to Dance" .
"This is the story of the greatest night of my entire life. This is about a moment from the Ballon d’Or ceremony that I will never forget, even if I lived 200 years," she wrote.
"It has nothing to do with dancing. It has everything to do with respect."
Hegerberg spent time reflecting on how she was informed she was going to win the Ballon d'Or Feminin and what it meant to her, her family and her club.
But then she turned her attention to the ceremony and the moment French DJ Martin Solveig asked her to twerk after giving the award.
Football Fern Rosie White told TVNZ Football Club about Ada Hegerberg’s moment being ruined yesterday.
"When I got up onstage to accept my award, everything was calm. Everything was warm. Everything was perfect. I looked out into the crowd and saw so many amazing footballers. The women’s game and the men’s game were side by side.
"What an incredible, beautiful moment. I will not let it be ruined by a stupid joke from a presenter. It didn’t ruin it in the moment. It does not ruin it in my memory.
"The best part was that when I returned to my seat, I didn’t know what to do with the trophy. It’s quite big and shiny, and I didn’t want to just hold it in my lap for the rest of the ceremony. So I did a very Norwegian thing.
"I put it on the floor under my seat."
Hegerberg wrapped up the column by saying after the ceremony, her and her family were waking the streets of Paris casually carrying the Ballon d'Or looking for somewhere to eat when they stumbled on a little Italian restaurant.
"At one point, our waiter came over and asked how the food was, and then he pointed to the shiny black box on the table. He said, 'Excuse me, but if you don’t mind me asking, what’s in there?'
"My mother replied, 'Oh, it’s nothing. It’s just the Ballon d’Or.' We opened the box and started taking pictures with everybody in the restaurant. It was quite a scene, I am sure.
"Norwegians, Iranians, Parisians … a happy singer … and the Ballon d’Or. If it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone.
"So, no, I’m sorry to say — I cannot twerk.
"But if you catch me on the right night, and I’m feeling good, and you turn on the perfect Iranian pop song … I can sing my heart out.
"And I can play a bit of football, too."
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