Ballon d'Or winner Hegerberg back in Norway squad

OSLO — Ada Hegerberg's self-imposed five-year exile from Norway's national team is over.

The 26-year-old striker, widely regarded as one of the best players in women’s soccer, hasn’t played for her country since deciding to rule herself out of selection in 2017 because of what she perceived to be a general disregard for the women’s game in Norway.

Hegerberg is satisfied a “good solution” has been found in her bid for more respect for female players. So she's back, having been selected on Thursday in Norway's squad for matches against Kosovo and Poland next month.

It also means soccer fans should be able to see the first ever female winner of the Ballon d’Or — in 2018 — at the European Championship in England this year.

Hegerberg said she was pleased to be able to contribute again to the team, while also “continuing to fight for equality, both on and off the field.”

“I want to do my part so that we reach our goals, and inspire both young girls and boys across the country," she said. "Now I can finally do it with the flag on my chest again.”

Hegerberg's frustration was with what she perceived to be the uneven pace of progress and strategy in the women’s game in Norway. That stance meant she was a big name missing at the 2019 World Cup in France, where she plays at club level for Lyon.

Officials at the Norwegian Football Association — notably its president, Lisa Klaveness — pushed behind the scenes to bring Hegerberg back into the national fold, with her return possibly delayed after sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament injury in January 2020 that ruled her out for 21 months.

Hegerberg never went into any specific detail about the reasons for her exile, although Klaveness told The Associated Press in 2019 that the