Euro 2022 - Can Ada Hegerberg be Norway's hero? Winning might require more than just star's return

When Ada Hegerberg's name was called by Norwegian manager Martin Sjögren as one of the 23 players who would be on hand to face Kosovo and Poland in their World Cup qualifiers in April, the women's football world collectively let out a delighted sigh.

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Norwegian football's prodigal daughter was returning after having refused to play with her national team for five years — and just like that, Norway were a team to be watched at the 2022 European Championships.

The story of Hegerberg's absence from her national team is a complex one; so too is her choice to return. Now that she's back, Norway's chances at the Euro 2022 this summer are boosted, but success is still no certainty.

Hegerberg's journey back to the national team begins in 2017 with disappointment at the Euros. Eyes bloodshot and shoulders slumped, Norway players trudged through the mixed zone in Deventer, one of the oldest cities in the Netherlands and a host of the Euro 2017 group stage. The players' bodies were like painted canvas, displaying the defeat they had just suffered on the pitch.

Much more than just a disappointing 90 minutes that culminated in a loss, it had been Norway's third in a row: they played 270 minutes without a point or goal to show for their endeavours. It was just the second time in Norway's history that they had failed to progress from the group stage at a European Championships — but this failure carried far more ignominy after the team had been one of the favourites to go all the way.

This was a nation of incredible footballing prowess in the women's game that reached the first-ever