'Mentally broken' by the treatment of women's football, Ada Hegerberg savors 'joyful' return to Norwegian national team

By Christina Macfarlane and Issy Ronald, CNN

Updated 0759 GMT (1559 HKT) May 20, 2022

Ada Hegerberg helped Lyon win five consecutive Champions League titles.

(CNN)It was windy and it was snowing. «A very classical Norwegian evening,» as Ada Hegerberg puts it.

Despite the inclement weather conditions at the Release Arena in Sandefjord, the Norwegian's overriding emotion was one of joy. She was playing her first match for Norway in five years, celebrating the occasion with a hat-trick as her team hammered Kosovo 5-1 in the Women's World Cup qualifying last month. «The crowd came, they came to support it, which I find amazing, Hegeberg tells CNN's Christina MacFarlane.»Obviously I'm very focused before games and everything, but seeing the national team again and seeing all these young girls, young boys showing up to watch us play was something that hit me deep in. And it was just a joyful feeling. I'm going to cherish that for a very long time."Five years ago, Hegerberg — then aged 21 — stepped away from the national team after her experiences with the side left her «mentally broken» and frustrated with the way women's football was regarded in Norway. Read More«I can clearly say that I never hope it happens to another player again, that you should be put in a position where you need to make a choice like that,» she says following her return to the side. «But at the moment, I would never forget it. I think we should embrace the whole history. But at the same time, I've kind of moved on as well.»Hegerberg celebrates after scoring the first goal of her hattrick against Kosovo.During her absence from the national team, Hegerberg established herself as one of the best players in the world. She holds the record for the most goals