As Lucy Bronze walked through the media zone in Stadium Australia after England’s World Cup final defeat by Spain, her answer on whether she would continue playing for her country was emphatic. ‘I’m not retiring from England,’ was her sharp, unrepentant response.
Fifteen months on and with next summer’s European Championship on the horizon, that stance is not close to changing. Bronze has competed in six international tournaments for the Lionesses but, as she points out, she is only 33.
Many have played on far beyond that age, including Brazilian legend Formiga, whose last game came when she was 43 years old.
‘Formiga is my idol,’ Bronze tells Mail Sport. ‘I love Marta (38), Christine Sinclair (who recently retired at 41).
‘I think it [age] is something that other people seem to point out.
‘I’m not stupid, I know my level isn’t as good as it was a couple of years ago - but my level a couple of years ago was the best in the world so it’s hard to compete with myself in that respect.
‘I am competing with the players around me every single day and I love playing football. I am only 33, that’s how I see myself. I think all the girls that play with me see me as a young player because I’ve got too much energy sometimes.
‘I play football because I love it and I’ll retire when I don’t have that same love or I have a passion for something else.’
The drive to win and keep winning is what has kept Bronze, who joined WSL champions Chelsea in the summer, at the top of the women’s game for so long.
England manager Sarina Wiegman on Friday described the defender as ‘the most competitive’ player she has ever worked with and somebody who has an incredible game understanding.
‘I don’t think I’ve ever sat back and thought “I’ve done so much,”’ says Bronze, who has won 24 trophies across five clubs, including five Champions League titles.
‘I think as soon as you do that is the moment to stop because you’re looking back instead of forward.
‘Even after we won the Euros, as soon as the whistle blew I was thinking “World Cup is coming up.” That’s always been my mindset: “What’s next? What else is there to win?” That’s why I don’t see myself stopping any time soon.’
Bronze will not be short of options when she does decide to call time on her illustrious career. She is speaking to Mail Sport at the launch of the Lucy Bronze Scholarship Award, which offers a unique opportunity for girls to access football and academic excellence - with the winner receiving a fully funded boarding place at a top independent school and personal mentoring from Bronze. ‘I see it as a way of giving the opportunity to anybody. That’s really important to me. There has to be a path and I can be a part of that.’
It is clear Bronze wants to give back to the game and a move into the boardroom would appear to be a good fit. The right back, who has recently joined the PFA board and worked with Fifpro, says her desire is to get into places women have not been before.
‘It’s about knowing what the battle looks like in terms of even just getting your foot in the door, then actually getting a seat and then actually getting listened to.
‘We all talk about change in women’s football, but if there isn’t someone at the top who is also willing to fight for that, then it becomes very difficult. That’s something that I’ve learned along the way.
‘I know when I am in those places it is more heavily male dominated, even on player boards. I get it because they have more teams but then you have to be able to have your voice heard. I feel comfortable enough in those scenarios.
‘Who I am and what I’ve done and what I’m capable of, I know I’ll get there somehow and I’ll be able to change something. That is a dream of mine. But, equally, I might finish and just want to have a family and relax because I’ve fought for everything I’ve done for the last 15 years already.’
While some English clubs lead the way on facilities, it can be difficult for players to have conversations with those at the top. When Bronze played for Lyon, she and others had a direct communication line with former president Jean-Michel Aulas. There was a similar set-up at Barcelona with Joan Laporta.
‘We can shout and scream and say what we want but it doesn’t matter if the right people aren’t listening and taking in that information. They have to actually care about the game and want it to succeed. That’s what I had at Lyon with president Aulas, he cared so much. It wasn’t just that he was listening, it was a conversation and he wanted the best for us.
‘I think Emma Hayes paved the way at Chelsea in terms of getting herself into the right places. I know Sonia Bompastor [current Chelsea manager] has better lines of communication with the people at the top.
‘I don’t know if it changes at other clubs. You still see that when it comes between the men’s and the women’s teams, there is a difficult balance because the Premier League is so huge. We’re not trying to copy that, but we also want to grow in a certain way.
‘The moment clubs start to realise they’ve got two big teams is when their women’s side will strive and achieve more.’
The mention of Hayes brings us on to the Lionesses’ friendly with the United States this evening. It will be the first meeting of the former Chelsea boss, who led the US to Olympic Gold after just two months in charge, and England Wiegman.
‘We’ve developed a rivalry with the US over the years and there’s now another edge of that because of Sarina [Wiegman] and Emma,’ Bronze says.
‘They’re two big female managers who are individually so successful and have been so successful in the past few years are now going head to head. I think there’s so many stories within that.
‘I think Emma has brought the US a bit more confidence and sometimes you need that. We love having them across because they create such an atmosphere and intensity.’
The Lionesses are in the midst of preparing to defend their European crown next summer but Bronze admits it has been an up and down period since their narrow defeat in the World Cup final.
‘We were really dragging ourselves through to that final and it was very taxing and difficult on a lot of the players.
‘To then go straight into the Nations League, it was like we were still trying to keep pushing and a couple of the results slipped out of our fingers. A lot of teams are getting better.
‘It’s a different team balance at England to what it has been previously. As a young player now when you come in, there’s all eyes on you and there’s an expectation. There’s so much more media now, people will say: “So and so should be starting because she scored two goals at the weekend,” or something like that.
‘Playing for England, it’s another new team, new system, new expectation. Stepping on the pitch and playing in front of 80,000, there’s a lot that goes into that. It is enjoyable because Maya [Le Tissier] and Grace [Clinton] are saying “I was watching the Euros final” so they’ve got that experience of being a fan and now they’re on this side of it.
‘It’s such a different environment to what I’ve been part of with England before but it’s so much fun. The next six months is when we’re going to get that cohesion back that you saw before the last Euros.’
Consistency has not been a problem for Chelsea, who have won all of their 13 games since Bronze joined with new manager Bomapstor in the summer. They are five points clear at the top of the WSL and have already qualified for the Champions League knockouts, but there is a feeling they are yet to even hit third gear.
‘It’s something we’ve spoken about as a team that we’re not even at our best yet.
‘We knew coming in that it would take a few months but I remember having a conversation with Sonia. I said: “I know it will take a few months of cohesion and mistakes, but we can’t drop points early on because that will come back and bite us later on in the season when we’re trying to win every single trophy. If we want to be a dominant team, we need to get results now.”
‘Sonia has brought in confidence from the start by saying “we want to win the Champions League,” it’s ok to say that. If we fall short, we fall short, but that is the goal.’
With 2025 set to be another big year for women’s football, Bronze, it seems, has no intention of slowing down.
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