In episode 4 of The Football Podcast, titled ‘The one where we don’t deserve equal pay’, hosts Nadia Nadim and Rocky Hehakaija welcomed the Danish forward who took the opportunity to follow the most influential characters in women’s football by challenging controversial topics and misconceptions which surround female players.

In this thought-provoking episode, Pernille shared eye-opening insight into challenges she faced as a young girl who was made to travel across the country to simply participate in girls training sessions. The 2019/2020 UEFA Women’s Player of the Year now hopes that her record-breaking transfer will help to remove barriers for young girls who are taking their first steps on to the pitch.

The episode is the fourth in a six-part series which has already seen a host of top female players unite to share their experiences and debate a wide range of issues; from confronting the stereotypes to taking a stance against derogatory, misogynistic and gender-biased comments.

Episode 1 – The one where no one cares, featuring Megan Rapinoe.

Episode 2 – The one where our goalkeepers are embarrassing, featuring Sari van Veenendaal.

Episode 3 – The one where we should get back to the kitchen, featuring Kenza Dali.

The fourth episode in the series, featuring Pernille Harder, is available to listen to on Spotify.

Pernille expresses that financial imbalance is just one of the inequalities that exists within women’s football, as she encourages females to campaign for change:

 “Equality is having the same facilities and opportunities to succeed as the men’s team. It’s not equal pay that we’re asking for right now – we want equal opportunities and the respect for what we do every day. We want a salary that gives footballers savings when they have to retire – we’re not looking for millions a week.”

“Everyone should have the same opportunities in life – it shouldn’t matter what sex you are, what religion you follow, or what skin colour you have. I want to fight for these things. I’m passionate about it and I want to speak up when I have the opportunity. To make the world a better place, we have to change the mindset of the decision makers – we have to speak up and let them see we aren’t satisfied.”

She hopes that her experiences will open academy doors for young girls who she claims must work harder than their male counterparts:

“I want to see equal opportunities for young boys and girls. It all starts with education. You see a lot of good football academies for boys – where are the ones for girls? There is a big opportunity there. Can you imagine if girls had the same opportunities as the boys? There was nothing like that when I was young. My parents had to drive hours to take us to training – girls have to work a lot harder for it.”

“I hope my record-breaking signing for Chelsea is the start of something new for women’s football”

The campaign for equal pay is not just a financial issue but a stride towards overall equality within the sport, suggests Nadia Nadim:

“What we’re trying to achieve is misunderstood. Equal pay is the goal, but what’s most important right now is equal access and equal rights first and foremost.”

“My fight has always been about having the right to play football. When I was younger, I either couldn’t play football because I’m a girl or because of the way I look. I don’t understand why there is a huge difference in how we get treated on the field or off the field because of our sex.”

“If you want the change, you have to speak up. It might be hard and it might have consequences, but sometimes you have to sacrifice to gain. The way I try to get change is by educating and speaking about the issue. Because of our platforms, when we do speak, people listen – so why shouldn’t we.”

Nadia also suggests that female professionals often carry the weight of unrealistic perceptions and expectations:

“If clubs want players to play in games two days a week and train seven days a week, they need a wage to be able to live of football.”

“Some people have never watched a women’s game before, then when a big tournament like the Women’s World Cup is on television, people see it and are like wow this is amazing. If there is interest from the public, the money will start flowing in. We need to change the mindset in society first, then everything else will come slowly.”

Courtesy of UEFA #WePlayStrong via Frame

Pernille Harder of Denmark celebrates after the UEFA Women’s EURO 2017 Group A match between Norway and Denmark (Photo Sportsfile)

The VfL Wolfsburg and Denmark striker, who played in this season’s UEFA Women’s Champions League final in Kyiv, claimed a total of 106 points. Olympique Lyonnais forward Ada Hegerberg, whose team was victorious in this year’s final in the Ukrainian capital, came second with 61 points, while the Norwegian’s clubmate and France international Amandine Henry was third with 41 points.

The jury was composed of coaches from the 12 highest-ranked teams in the latest UEFA women’s national team rankings, together with the coaches of the eight clubs which participated in the quarter-finals of the 2017/18 UEFA Women’s Champions League. Also on the panel were 20 journalists specialising in women’s football who were selected by the European Sports Media (ESM) group. The final result was based on the total number of points from the votes cast by the coaches and the journalists.

In a video-recorded message, the 25-year-old Harder said: “I am extremely proud and honoured to receive this award, as I have always dreamed of playing at the highest level since I was a young kid. I would like to thank in particular my family for their support, as well as my teammates, coaches and staff from the national team. Of course, I would like to say a big thank you to my club VfL Wolfsburg for an amazing season where we continue to play and compete at the highest level.”

Real Madrid CF player Luka Modrić was crowned the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year 2017/18 at the same ceremony in Monaco. The Croatian midfielder, who was the architect of his club’s impressive third consecutive UEFA Champions League title last season, wins this award for the first time.

The jury was composed of 80 coaches of the clubs, which participated in the group stages of the 2017/18 UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League, together with 55 journalists selected by the ESM group, representing each of UEFA’s member associations. The final result was based on the total number of points from the votes cast by the coaches and the journalists.

The Croatian international collected a total of 313 points, with former Real Madrid CF and Portugal’s striker Cristiano Ronaldo (223 points) and Liverpool FC and Egypt forward Mohamed Salah (134 points) occupying second and third place respectively.

Receiving the award on stage, the 32-year-old Modrić said: “It’s an incredible moment for me and I feel excited and proud to have won this great award. I would like to thank everyone who voted for me to receive the award, my club, Real Madrid, my coaches and my teammates who support me through the highs and lows. This award belongs to them as well.”

The UEFA Player of the Year awards recognise the best players, irrespective of their nationality, who have played for a football club within the territory of a UEFA member national association. The awards are based on players’ performances during the 2017/18 season in all competitions, both domestic and international, and at club and national team levels.

Meanwhile, four players were presented with the UEFA Champions League positional awards during the 2018/19 Champions League group stage draw at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco.

The jury for these awards was comprised of the coaches from the 32 clubs, which participated in the group stage of the 2017/18 UEFA Champions League, together with 55 journalists selected by the ESM group. The final result was based on the total number of points from the votes cast by the coaches and journalists.

Keylor Navas (Costa Rica, Real Madrid CF) was crowned Best Goalkeeper of the 2017/18 UEFA Champions League season, amassing a total of 222 points and finishing ahead of Alisson Becker (Brazil, AS Roma, now at Liverpool FC) with 197 points, and Gianluigi Buffon (Italy, Juventus, now at Paris Saint-Germain) with 92 points.

Sergio Ramos (Spain, Real Madrid CF) was named Best Defender of the 2017/18 UEFA Champions League season for a second successive year with a total of 184 points. Raphaël Varane (France, Real Madrid CF) with 167 points and Marcelo (Brazil, Real Madrid CF) with 145 points occupied second and third place respectively.

Luka Modrić (Croatia – Real Madrid CF) retained his title as the Best Midfielder of the 2017/18 UEFA Champions League season, picking up a total of 347 points, while Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium, Manchester City FC) with 114 points and Toni Kroos (Germany, Real Madrid CF) with 69 points finished in second and third place respectively.

Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal, Real Madrid CF, now at Juventus) was named Best Forward of the 2017/18 UEFA Champions League season for the second year running claiming a total of 287 points. Mohamed Salah (Egypt, Liverpool FC) came second with 218 points, and Lionel Messi (Argentina, FC Barcelona) was third with 43 points.

Finally, during the Monaco ceremony, English and European football legend David Beckham was presented with the 2018 UEFA President’s Award by UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin for his outstanding career and services to football at both national and club level. Also, the Georgian national team player Guram Kashia received the inaugural UEFA #EqualGame Award aimed at recognising a player who has acted as a role model in promoting diversity, inclusion and accessibility in European football.

Courtesy of UEFA