Ada Hegerberg wins first women’s Ballon d’Or

Lyon’s Ada Hegerberg has been crowned the first winner of the women’s Ballon d’Or.

The Norwegian striker, 23, helped Lyon claim the French league title and Champions League trophy, scoring in the final as they beat Wolfsburg 4-1 in Kiev.

“I want to say thanks to my team-mates because this would not have been possible without them, my coach or our president Jean-Michel Aulas,” Hegerberg said.

“I also want to thank France Football. This is a huge step for women’s football.

“I want to end this speech with a message to all young girls in the world. Believe in yourselves”

England duo Lucy Bronze and Frank Kirby were also ranked among the top 20 in the world, finishing sixth and 14th respectively.

Hegerberg and Bronze were two of seven Lyon players shortlisted for the award.

However, there was controversy surrounding the ceremony in Paris after Hegerberg was asked if she knew how to twerk when she collected her award on stage by host Martin Solveig, a French DJ.

The comment sparked outrage on social media, with many users calling the remarks “sexist”, and Solveig released an apology on Twitter shortly after.

“Sincere apologies to the one I may have offended,” he said. “My point was: I don’t invite women to twerk but dance on a Sinatra song. Watch the full sequence, people who have followed me for 20 years know how respectful I am especially with women.”

The top 10

1. Ada Hegerberg (Lyon and Norway)

2. Pernille Harder (Wolfsburg and Denmark)

3. Dzsenifer Maroszan (Lyon and Germany)

4. Marta (Orlando and Brazil)

5. Sam Kerr (Perth and Australia)

6. Lucy Bronze (Lyon and England)

7. Amandine Henry and Wendie Renard (both Lyon and France)

9. Megan Rapinoe (Seattle and USA)

10. Lindsay Horan (Portland and USA)