The star of the hit film Bend It Like Beckham has become FIFA's international football personality of the year.
Parminder Nagra is the first woman to win the prestigious award. She received the honour from FIFA chief Joseph Blatter, who said the young Asian actress' contribution to the game was "unequalled".
In the film she plays a Sikh girl who must overcome the prejudices of both her family and society to realise her dream of becoming a professional soccer player.
The actress was enthusiastically applauded by a host of football stars at the Madrid ceremony, including Ronaldo, who won player of the year, and Luis Figo, who took the same award last year.
Parminder arrived in Spain from the set of her latest production, Second Generation, which is currently being filmed in London.
The two-part series, which will be shown on Channel 4, is based around the relationships between two Indian families, and co-stars East Is East actor Om Puri
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
