Biography - Ada Hegerberg

Who is Ada Hegerberg?

Raised in Norway, and a star in France, Ada Hegerberg is a professional footballer who has made a name for herself among the female elite professional footballers across the globe. The Olympique Lyonnais forward is somewhat phenomenal when the ball is at her feet. 

Ada Hegerberg – Age, Parents, Siblings

Ada Martine Stolsmo Hegerberg was born to Gerd Stolmso (Mother) and Stein Erik Hegerberg (father) on July 10, 1995, in Molde Norway. Together with her sister Andrine had their early life in Molde where they had their early education and were later raised in Sunndal and played for Sunndal Football together.

The Hegerberg family moved to Kolbotn in 2007. There the two sisters joined and played in the youth ranks of Kolbotn IL.

Education, Ethnicity

However, Ada had an average lifestyle as she grew up playing alongside male counterparts before her professional debut but she was raised a global superstar who had risen through rank despite coming from Kolbotn and Stabæk in Toppserien.

She has represented her home country at the youth international level, making her debut in 2011 for the senior team. Ada Hegerberg was a part of the 2013 UEFA Women's Championship where her team won a silver medal. She was also a team member for Norway at the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup as well as the 2017 UEFA Women's Championship.

However, her rise to the pinnacle of female footballing prowess is really forthcoming as she was crowned the first-ever recipient of the Ballon d'Or Féminin when she helped Olympique Lyonnais to the UEFA Champions League victory in 2018 as she continually helped her French team dominate the UEFA Women’s Champions League category. Olympique Lyonnais won their German counterpart Wolfsburg despite having almost equal odds at +240 and +250 odds for the German’s Wolfsburg, according to Sportsbookreview.

Her ethnicity is Caucasian.

Ada Hegerberg – Boyfriend, Husband, Relationship

Although the Norway international’s personal life is somewhat private, she tied the knot with her long-term boyfriend and fiancée, Thomas Rogne, who is also a professional footballer. The couple dated for about four years before finally marrying in May 2019 in front of family and closest friends. They also had a wedding in August 2020 in Italy. The pair have been happily living with each other despite the career difference and distance shaping their relationship. She does not have any children with her husband yet.

However, Ada's relationship could not stop her elite career and professionalism as she continued to bag goals from all angles prior to her injury lay in early 2020. 

Ada Hegerberg – Career

Early Days

After moving to Kolbotn in 2007, Ada joined the Kolbotn IL together with her sister and she made her debut for Kolbotn in 2010. While still 16 years old, Ada finished as Kolbotn’s top scorer in the 2011 Toppserien season and was voted as the league's Young Player of the Year. Ahead of the 2012 season, Ada Hegerberg joined Stabeak. In 2012, during a match against Fart, Ada Hegerberg scored five goals during the first half. The Stabeak team had an 8–2 win. The Hegerberg sisters were considered to be two of the biggest talents in Norwegian women's football at this time.

In 2013, she signed contracts with the German side, FFC Turbine Potsdam. Hegerberg scored in her Bundesliga debüt, as she helped her team to finish in second place in both the 2012/2013 Bundesliga and DFB Pokal.

With Olympique Lyonnais

Hegerberg made a decision to transfer to Olympique Lyonnais in the summer of 2014. Her first season with the team was very successful, scoring 26 goals in 22 league games during her first season in France. This led Lyon to a ninth consecutive Division 1 Feminine title. Ada  Hegerberg was the one who scored the tying goal in the 47th minute in the Coupe de France Final. Her team won 2–1 over Montpellier.

In November 2015, Hegerberg and  Olympique Lyonnais reached an agreement to extend her contract with the team- staying with the team through the 2019 season. In the coming season, she helped Lyon retain the league title for the tenth time in a row, finishing the season as the top scorer of the league with 33 goals in 21 appearances. One week later, Hegerberg secured the Coupe de France for Lyon and UEFA Women’s Champions League with 13 goals in 9 matches, to complete a treble for the French champion.

More importantly, Ada Hegerberg has cemented her place as a favorite to any major local and international award due to her influence in Lyon's dominance in the UEFA Women’s Champions League. Hegerberg could synonymously be the reason Lyon is having their UEFA Women’s Champions League triumph in recent years. 

However, her international career has come high and low as she retires from her international career in reference to her quest for equality in women's and men's football in Norway. She won the best footballer in Norway prior to her retirement which makes her the only female footballer that could do so since 1996. The Norway international had 38 goals in 63 appearances for her country and has made a lot of impact on the country’s footballing path.

Ada Hegerberg – Net worth, Salary

Ada Hegerberg is one of the highest-paid female football players in the world but there is a huge gap between the female and male pay schemes. She earns around £343,000 annually compared, which is roughly 326 times less than the Barcelona forward, Lionel Messi, the highest-paid footballer, who gets around £112 million a year. More so, the Norwegian athlete is estimated to be worth £4,000,000 (more than $5.2 million in USD) with her new Nike deal, she is expected to move up in her worth.

Ada Hegerberg – Endorsement 

Nike, which is already a prominent supporter of women’s soccer through its partnership with European soccer’s governing body Uefa, also has individual endorsement deals with athletes such as Serena Williams, Cristiano Ronaldo, LeBron James and with top US women’s national team (USWNT) players Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan, as well as Chelsea's Australian striker Sam Kerr.

Although Hegerberg’s financial terms of the agreement are yet to be disclosed,  Agence France-Presse (AFP) news agency says the contract is worth more than €1 million (US$1.1 million) to Hegerberg. Also, Forbes has reported Nike will pay the Norwegian athlete a six-figure amount annually.

It seems as if Nike’s offer for the Olympique Lyonnais striker was enough to prise her away from German sportswear brand Puma, whose contract reportedly expired last year in the summer.