French DJ Martin Solveig has created a storm after asking Norwegian footballer Ada Hegerberg to "twerk" after she won the inaugural Ballon d'Or for best female player in the world.
Historic: Lyon star Ada Hegerberg won the inaugural Ballon d'Or as women's player of the year.Credit:AP
Hegerberg, who has previously spoken of the difficulties faced by female players, had only moments before delivered an impassioned speech telling young girls to "believe in themselves".
"I would like to say a big, huge thank you to France Football, for letting us have this opportunity to have this award. It's a huge step for women's football … and together we'll make a difference," she said in the English portion of her speech.
"I would like to end this speech with some words to young girls all over the world: please, believe in yourselves."
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The response to Solveig's twerking question from the 23-year-old – a three-time Women's Champions League winner with French side Lyon who scored a tournament-record 15 times last season – said it all.
Reaction online was swift, with Solveig's Wikipedia page being edited to describe the 42-year-old as "breathtakingly sexist and very lucky not to have been kicked square in the balls by Ada Hegerberg".
Journalist Jason Pettigrove described the incident as "f–king pathetic".
The interaction prompted a strong response on social media generally, with many disgusted that Hederberg's moment was stolen by the inappropriate question.
After Hederberg's initial reaction, Solveig then offered a different kind of dance, and Frank Sinatra's Fly Me To The Moon began to play. Hederberg returned, laughed and briefly danced with the DJ, before Solveig congratulated her on her award and invited applause from the crowd.
Solveig later took to Twitter to apologise, saying "those who have followed me for 20 years know how respectful I am especially with women".
In a second post, he said he had spoken to Hederberg and that she had understood the joke.
Hegerberg had also expressed frustration about living "in such a man's world" and said the award will not make her reconsider her refusal to play for Norway, including at next June's World Cup, because of her unhappiness over perceived inequality.
"A lot of things need to be done to make the conditions better for women who play football," she said.
"It's all about how we respect women's football. I don't think the respect has been there.
"I wish the national team the best, though. We just follow two different paths at the moment."
A jury of 45 journalists picked Hegerberg from among 15 nominees, including Matildas star striker Sam Kerr who was fifth in the voting.
The men's award was taken out by Real Madrid and Croatia midfielder Luka Modric, ending a decade of dominance by Modric's former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo and Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi.
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French DJ Martin Solveig has created a storm after asking Norwegian footballer Ada Hegerberg to "twerk" after she won the inaugural Ballon d'Or for best female player in the world.
Historic: Lyon star Ada Hegerberg won the inaugural Ballon d'Or as women's player of the year.Credit:AP
Hegerberg, who has previously spoken of the difficulties faced by female players, had only moments before delivered an impassioned speech telling young girls to "believe in themselves".
"I would like to say a big, huge thank you to France Football, for letting us have this opportunity to have this award. It's a huge step for women's football … and together we'll make a difference," she said in the English portion of her speech.
"I would like to end this speech with some words to young girls all over the world: please, believe in yourselves."
Advertisement
The response to Solveig's twerking question from the 23-year-old – a three-time Women's Champions League winner with French side Lyon who scored a tournament-record 15 times last season – said it all.
Reaction online was swift, with Solveig's Wikipedia page being edited to describe the 42-year-old as "breathtakingly sexist and very lucky not to have been kicked square in the balls by Ada Hegerberg".
Journalist Jason Pettigrove described the incident as "f–king pathetic".
The interaction prompted a strong response on social media generally, with many disgusted that Hederberg's moment was stolen by the inappropriate question.
After Hederberg's initial reaction, Solveig then offered a different kind of dance, and Frank Sinatra's Fly Me To The Moon began to play. Hederberg returned, laughed and briefly danced with the DJ, before Solveig congratulated her on her award and invited applause from the crowd.
Solveig later took to Twitter to apologise, saying "those who have followed me for 20 years know how respectful I am especially with women".
In a second post, he said he had spoken to Hederberg and that she had understood the joke.
Hegerberg had also expressed frustration about living "in such a man's world" and said the award will not make her reconsider her refusal to play for Norway, including at next June's World Cup, because of her unhappiness over perceived inequality.
"A lot of things need to be done to make the conditions better for women who play football," she said.
"It's all about how we respect women's football. I don't think the respect has been there.
"I wish the national team the best, though. We just follow two different paths at the moment."
A jury of 45 journalists picked Hegerberg from among 15 nominees, including Matildas star striker Sam Kerr who was fifth in the voting.
The men's award was taken out by Real Madrid and Croatia midfielder Luka Modric, ending a decade of dominance by Modric's former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo and Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi.
