One of the most decorated players in English football history – Lucy Bronze has won just about every trophy there is to win
Arguably the most successful British player of all time, Bronze has been at the heart of the England women’s team over the past decade, helping the Lionesses become an international force.
The 33-year-old has represented some of the biggest clubs in the world and currently plays for reigning WSL champions Chelsea. But how did she get to where she is today?
Lucy Bronze: her career so far
Lucy Bronze is seventh on the list of women with the most caps for their country in history. Her debut came in 2013, just before Euro 2013, in a friendly match against then world champions Japan.
But England were lucky enough to win the bronze medal. As a holder of dual citizenship, she could also play for Portugal – who tried to get her into the national team when she was 16. Bronze is also eligible to play for Scotland through a relative on her mother’s side.
Although she had a successful career with England, her big career break came in the United States. Bronz moved to North Carolina at age 17 to study and play for the North Carolina Tar Heels.
She later transferred back to the UK to complete her studies at Leeds Metropolitan University, writing a thesis on ACL injuries in women’s sport. To support her through school, Bronze worked at Domino’s Pizza – and still gets free pizza to this day!
Following debuts in the WSL with Merseyside, Everton and Liverpool, Bronze’s career-changing moment came at the 2015 Women’s World Cup.
Bronze scored a stunning winner against Norway on the way to Canada’s third-place finish, giving the Lionesses their first knockout win in the final, before advancing to the quarter-finals against Canada. A goal was also scored in the game.
Video How Lauren James will change women’s football forever
The full-back also joined Manchester City that same year and quickly established herself as a world-class operator, playing regularly in the Champions League and winning the WSL title.
After another stellar year in 2017 – a bronze medal in the Euro 2017 Team of the Season and an FA Cup win with Manchester City – she caught the attention of Ligue 1 giants Lyon. Over the next three years, the Bronze won three consecutive Champions League titles, two of which were part of Lyon’s treble-winning campaign.
Bronze, who is seeking a return to England, joins City two years ahead of the pinnacle of her international career – when the Lionesses won their first major trophy on home soil at Euro 2022.
A spell in sunny Barcelona followed, where Bronze won two Spanish titles and two Champions Leagues, becoming the first English player to lift the European Cup five times.
Now Bronze has returned to England, joining WSL champions Chelsea ahead of the 2024-25 season, with the goal of winning Europe’s top prize with the English side.
