Axelle Despiegelaere at the 2014 World Cup (Image: Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
One Belgium fan shot to fame after being picked out of the crowd at a 2014 World Cup game in Brazil by a cameraman. And it even secured her a modelling contract with beauty giant L'Oreal.
Belgium's had a disappointing time in the tournament a decade ago, which saw them knocked out in the quarter-finals by Argentina. But Despiegelaere felt like she had won the World Cup on her own when she landed a major breakthrough thanks to a viral photograph.
Aged just 17 at the time, Axelle was snapped wearing a hat adorned with the colours of her national flag - red, black and yellow - while cheering on her team during the group stage at the Maracana. The image, taken during Belgium's 1-0 victory over Russia, quickly went viral on social media.
And upon returning from South America, she was scouted by L'Oreal, proving that she was indeed "worth it." With the support of over 200,000 Facebook followers, she appeared alongside the French haircare brand, promoting various products. However, Axelle's relationship with the company was short-lived.
She parted ways with L'Oreal after a photo emerged online showing her crouching next to a dead oryx, gun in hand, reports the Mirror. The caption accompanying the post seemed to celebrate big game hunting, reading: "Hunting is not a matter of life or death. It's much more important than that.. This was about one year ago.."
Despiegelaere attempted to dismiss the controversial post as a jest, but it did little to salvage her burgeoning modelling career with top labels. Despite L'Oreal severing ties, they stopped short of attributing the decision directly to the contentious photo.
Despiegelaere at the 2014 World Cup (Image: Getty)
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A representative from L'Oreal informed at the time The Independent: "L'Oreal Professionnel Belgium collaborated with her on an ad hoc basis to produce a video for social media use in Belgium. The contract has now been completed."
A decade after her sudden thrust into the limelight, the Belgian beauty can still boast a hefty 29,000 Instagram followers, indicating her enduring appeal through past controversy.
