Danish football star Pernille Harder was among the nominees for the prestigious 2026 women’s Ballon d’Or award, which honours the best female football player in the world. As she got ready for the glitzy ceremony in London, Vogue Scandinavia caught up with the athlete to talk football, fashion, and her best tips for young girls dreaming of going pro
Receiving the Ballon d’Or is the greatest honour with which an individual professional football player can be bestowed. Awarded each year, the prestigious award recognises the best female and best male player of the season, with past winners including sporting icons like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Aitana Bonmatí and Alexia Putellas.
Among the nominees for the 2026 women’s Ballon d’Or is Danish football star Pernille Harder, a forward for Frauen-Bundesliga club Bayern Munich, and captain of Denmark’s national team.
“I’m very excited,” Harder tells me as we catch up over the phone the day before the ceremony, held in London this year. It’s not her first rodeo, though: Harder has now been nominated for the Ballon d’Or five times. However, the last time she made it to the gala in person was in 2018, when the first-ever women’s Ballon d’Or was introduced. Ultimately, Harder placed second, while Norwegian striker Ada Hegerberg scooped up the top prize.
Being nominated again, Harder muses, is “a huge accomplishment and confirmation of what I’m doing every day on the pitch.” “And especially when I’m getting older. I turn 34 in one month, and to be able to be nominated again at this age is, for me, a recognition that I’ve been at the top for many years, and I still am,” she adds. “That’s something I’m really proud of.”
Photo: Vic Lentaigne
For the 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony, Harder opted for a sleek black maxi dress from Danish brand Rotate. Photo: Vic Lentaigne
Becoming a pro football player wasn’t just a dream Harder harboured since a young age – it was in her blood. Her parents played football, and her older sister, Louise Harder, also took part in the sport. “It was natural that I started playing football when I was a small kid, and I just fell in love with the sport right away,” Harder recalls. “I knew quite early that I wanted to go pro. I actually found an essay I wrote when I was 10 years old, saying ‘I want to become a professional football player, I want to be the best player in the world and I want to play in Germany…’”
Call it the power of manifestation – and hard work – Harder is now among the sport’s best female footballers. While she’s yet to snag the Ballon d’Or (Spanish midfielder Putellas won the 2026 award, while Harder placed 7th), she has a slew of other accolades under her belt, including two UEFA Women’s Player of the Year awards and the title of Denmark’s all-time leading scorer. Hot off an outstanding season with Bayern Munich, what gets Harder onto the pitch every day is “just the game – it’s so much fun.” “I really enjoy playing with my teammates in Bayern Munich,” she continues. “It’s so satisfying when we have a really good build-up, a good team play, and finish with a goal. That’s what football gives me, it just gives me a lot of joy.”