World Cup fan Axelle Despiegelaere lands first modelling assignment

Seventeen-year-old Belgian Axelle Despiegelaere, who became famous after being repeatedly photographed in the stadium at one of this year’s World Cup games in Brazil, has cinched her first assignment as a professional model, working together with Belgian celebrity photographer Henk Van Cauwenbergh.

Van Cauwenbergh was hired to take photos of Axelle for Gimpex, a company that produces luxury footwear. "She does not have the standard height of a model, but she is insanely photogenic," Van Cauwenbergh told Het Laatste Nieuws. "A symmetrical face, wide mouth, disarming smile, high cheekbones; Axelle is a real ‘it-girl’,” he continued. "She also knows how to pose, even though it’s all very new to her."

The photos will appear in major European fashion magazines in September. It is the first professional modelling assignment for Axelle, who this summer was bombarded with attention from the international press following the Belgium-Russia match. Hundreds of people from around the world shared photos of her on social media.

The media attention almost led to a contract with French cosmetics giant L'Oréal, but the company backed out after Axelle posted an old photo of herself posing with a rifle over the dead body of an antelope.