Trailblazing France coach Corinne Diacre said women in football face a constant struggle for acceptance and are often regarded as “objects” despite rising visibility and media coverage of female players.

Diacre made history when she became the first female coach of a French men’s professional team in 2014, and she is now hoping to guide Les Bleues to the women’s World Cup title next year on home soil.

But the former France captain, who amassed 121 caps and 14 international goals — including the strike that took France to their maiden World Cup in 2003 — said it hadn’t been an easy journey.