Belgian fan Axelle Despiegelaere lost her L'Oreal deal weeks after going viral at the 2014 World Cup

Axelle Despiegelaere became one of the most talked-about faces of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil — not as a player, but as a 17-year-old Belgian supporter whose photographs at the Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro went viral overnight. French cosmetics giant L’Oreal moved quickly to sign her as the face of a social media campaign, but the deal unravelled just as fast.

Axelle had been photographed cheering Belgium’s 1-0 group-stage victory over Russia, wearing a red, yellow and black devil horn hat and clutching pom poms. Images of the teenager spread rapidly across the internet, with fans crowning her football’s “most beautiful supporter.” L’Oreal’s offer followed almost immediately, and she appeared in promotional content including a hair tutorial video for the brand.

The arrangement came to an abrupt end after Axelle posted a photograph on her personal Facebook page that appeared to show her holding a hunting rifle beside a dead oryx. The caption read: “Hunting is not a matter of life or death. It’s much more important than that… this was about one year ago… ready to hunt Americans today haha.”

The backlash was swift and severe. Axelle later said she had not intended to cause offence and described the post as a joke, but L’Oreal terminated her contract shortly afterwards. The company never publicly confirmed whether the hunting image was the sole reason for their decision.

The episode unfolded against the backdrop of a memorable tournament for Belgium. Marc Wilmots’s squad — featuring Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku — won all three group games before eliminating the United States in the round of 16, only to be knocked out by eventual finalists Argentina in the quarter-finals.

More than a decade on, Axelle has built a career far removed from the modelling world. She is now co-founder of Spinvest Group, a family-owned property development and investment company based in Belgium.