MADRID, 24 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Norwegian striker Ada Hegerberg, considered one of the best players in the world and winner of the Ballon d’Or in 2018, will play again with her country’s national team five years after giving up doing so on the grounds that there was discriminatory treatment with respect to the men’s team .
Hegerberg, 26, who plays for Olympique de Lyon in France, decided not to wear the Norway shirt again after Euro 2017 until the federation equalized the conditions with the men’s team and his opinion did not change either when the salaries.
“It’s not just about money. It’s about preparation, acting, professionalism, very clear points that I presented directly to them when I made my decision,” warned the striker then, who did not mind giving up the World Cup in France 2019.
But now, almost five years later and after overcoming a serious knee injury that kept her away from the playing fields for 20 months and prevented her from returning until last October, the one from Molde believes that the conditions are right to be summoned and the coach Martin Sjogren has not hesitated to summon her for the qualifying matches for the 2023 World Cup against Kosovo and Poland this April.
“It’s great to be able to have Ada back. She has been performing world-class and scoring goal after goal on the biggest stages of football for several years. Of course, getting her back means a lot to the Norwegian team. It has been a challenging situation, but now we have left this behind. The basis of this is a common understanding that we are different and that we respect each other as people and players, “said Sjogren on the website of the Norwegian Federation.
For her part, the striker confessed that she “very much wants to be part of the national team again.” “It’s been five years since I made the decision to step aside and I’m glad we found a good solution,” she said.
“I look forward to the training camp in April and the preparations for the European Championship to contribute as much as I can to the team, as well as to continue fighting for equality, both on and off the pitch. I want to do my part so that we reach our goals and inspire so much girls as well as boys across the country. Now I can finally do it again with the flag of my country on my chest”, celebrated the Lyon striker.
– I am proud to be Norwegian, I always have been, and I am very proud to wear the Norwegian costume again. See you soon, she continues.