Lucy Bronze: Chelsea’s defender of the Premier League title race, confidence and age

It wasn’t just on the pitch where Bronze advanced.

She is a player representative for the players’ union FifPro and sits on the board of the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA), advocating for positive change in the game.

She has also raised awareness of the diagnosis of autism and ADHD and has become a strong spokesperson for England in global debates.

“When you get older and you see when younger players are a little afraid to say something or do something, I know it has to be me,” Bronze said.

He added: “I’m in the lead now because there’s a lot of the younger generation at Chelsea and England. That’s a lot on me.”

“When something needs to be done, people say ‘just ask Lucy’, and I have this thing where I can’t say no.”

Bronze has no intention of retiring anytime soon, something she reiterated when asked about her Chelsea contract expiring in the summer.

But when the time comes, Bronze wants to advocate for change in the game and share her experiences to help others.

“The number one thing is to communicate with the players and say it’s also their responsibility to be the best they can be and to work harder,” Bronze said.

“Sometimes we say: ‘We need more facilities, more media, more of this.’ We need that. But, as players, we can push ourselves more to be better.

“Get a chef, eat healthy, get the right things in the house, and do everything so you can become the best player possible and make women’s soccer a better product.

“It’s difficult to play every game, every week, for your club and for England. It’s not just turning up. You have to do extra things and it’s a learning process.”

“You can see people who have reached the top and lasted longer because they were the ones who figured it out first.”