Ada Hegerberg knows what it means to take a stand. Her five‑year absence from Norway’s national team, in protest over the attitude of the football federation to women’s football, was costly. While the best fought it out for the World Cup in France in 2019, the then Ballon d’Or holder was absent.
Hegerberg felt pretty isolated in her decision, that there was a lack of understanding, but that has changed. There are far fewer questions asked of the Spain players, including Barcelona’s Champions League winners Mapi León, Sandra Paños and Patri Guijarro, who have absented themselves owing to issues with the conditions under the head coach, Jorge Vilda.
