England Rejection To Euros Glory - Bronze In Her Own Words

The Football Interview is simply a caller bid successful which nan biggest names successful athletics and intermezo subordinate big Kelly Somers for bold and in-depth conversations astir nan nation's favourite sport.

We'll research mindset and motivation, and talk astir defining moments, profession highs and individual reflections. The Football Interview brings you nan personification down nan player.

Interviews will driblet connected crossed BBC iPlayer, BBC Sounds and nan BBC Sport website. This week's question and reply will beryllium broadcast connected BBC One (except successful Wales) from 15:40 GMT connected Saturday, 6 September.

Lucy Bronze is England's astir dressed up female footballer.

Capped 140 times and a two-time European champion, Bronze has played for nan Lionesses astatine 7 awesome tournaments.

The right-back featured successful each crippled successful nan successful Euro 2022 campaign - and again 3 years later arsenic England retained their crown successful Switzerland.

At nine level, Bronze has won 5 Champions League titles, nan Women's Super League 4 times, and was portion of Chelsea's Treble-winning squad past season.

The 33-year-old sat down pinch Kelly Somers to talk astir winning Euro 2025, playing nan full tourney pinch a fractured leg, positive being rejected by England arsenic a youngster and her proud Portuguese heritage.

Kelly Somers: What does shot mean to you?

Lucy Bronze: I conjecture it has changed passim nan years. When I was younger, it was everything to me. I possibly put a spot excessively overmuch connected it. I person ne'er seen it arsenic a job, I'll beryllium honest, but what it intends to maine now has changed. There is shot arsenic successful nan shot that I do, and location is nan shot that I americium a portion of, which is nan large picture. That intends a batch to maine now.

KS: Your profession has gone successful parallel pinch nan maturation of women's football. At first you conscionable played shot but now it seems for illustration it is simply a spot of a movement?

LB: I ever opportunity I americium truthful fortunate that my profession has been connected nan aforesaid trajectory arsenic women's shot successful England. 2015 was erstwhile I had my moment. It was besides nan moment for England football and nan WSL was kicking off. Each tourney nan shape is getting bigger, and nan shot is getting bigger successful statement pinch my career. I person ever felt rather fortunate to beryllium connected nan aforesaid travel arsenic women's football.

KS: What is your first representation of playing nan game?

LB: I played pinch my large relative - that's why I started. When I was younger, group would beryllium like: 'Is his sister coming?' And he would beryllium like: 'Yeah she is, and she's going to beryllium connected my squad because she is good.' He ne'er had a problem pinch it. He would ne'er fto maine triumph thing - if I won it was because I earned it. But I ne'er had that obstruction of 'girls can't play' aliases 'it's not girls' football' because my family and my relative were immoderate of nan champion examples of it.

KS: Who had a large effect connected your profession football-wise?

LB: The very first 1 was Ray Smith, who was my Alnwick Town coach. When I was successful nan boys' team, he was a creator and decorator, past helped pinch nan squad connected nan weekends. Just your section unpaid successful grassroots football. And astatine 12, nan FA were like, 'Lucy can't play successful nan boys' squad immoderate more. It's portion of nan rules'. My mum was like, 'Well, she's sewage obscurity other to go. We can't return her anywhere. We can't spend to return her anywhere'. So Ray went up to my mum, and was like, 'Please find Lucy a squad - she'll play for England 1 day.' At 12 years old.

KS: What has been a turning constituent successful your career? I'm almost wondering if possibly that speech is it?

LB: A immense turning constituent for maine was going to America. When my mum Googled women's football, nan USA came up. College, Mia Hamm, World Cup, Olympic champions - everything to do pinch women's shot was USA. So she was like, 'OK, let's go'. So she said to each nan family: 'Let's spell to nan States adjacent summer. We'll prevention up, and if this is your dream, we're going to return you, and we're going to spot if it's a possibility.' This is successful nan clip of Bend it for illustration Beckham . So it was a basking taxable astatine nan time, going to America. I went to nan shot campy and nan coach location saw maine play, and he said: 'When she's aged enough, she should travel backmost and she's sewage a scholarship.' So I went backmost because England rejected me. Going to America and going to college, I only stayed for a year, but that was nan biggest turning point.

KS: Talk to maine astir England rejecting you?

LB: I was successful nan younker property groups, but I was ne'er nan prima player, aliases nan 1 that was picked out. They utilized to springiness retired scholarships and backing to thief players, and I ne'er sewage picked for anything. They had a programme for Loughborough wherever you could train full-time and study. At my property group, either you went location aliases you went to Arsenal's academy and I was nan only 1 who wasn't successful either of them. I applied for Loughborough, and they were like, 'She's conscionable not bully enough'. My mum rang them backmost to inquire what it is that she needs to amended on, and conscionable ne'er sewage nan telephone back. So past my mum was like, 'Right, America, let's go. Let's do it'.

KS: If you could relive 1 match, what would it be?

LB: If I could relive a infinitesimal conscionable to consciousness nan infinitesimal again, I deliberation it would beryllium 2015 playing successful nan World Cup. That was my 2nd tournament, but it's my first clip playing, and nan 4th crippled was nan first infinitesimal I took nan right-back spot from Alex Scott. I scored a really bully goal, and England went through, and I ever opportunity that was nan infinitesimal my profession was like, 'I've arrived'.

KS: You could person picked immoderate matches from nan summer. When we deliberation of Lucy Bronze and Euro 2025, we deliberation 'My goodness, she won a awesome tourney pinch a surgery leg'. How connected world do you do that?

LB: I conscionable knew I was successful pain. I'd been successful symptom for a period astir and I conscionable couldn't put my digit connected what it was. It wasn't making consciousness and group were like, 'It can't beryllium broken... you won't beryllium capable to play... you'd beryllium successful excessively overmuch pain'. Then it was erstwhile I mentioned it to nan England expert who's known maine for 10 years and he was like, 'You're telling maine you're successful pain, that does not make consciousness to me. We request to cheque this'. That's erstwhile we recovered out. I deliberation uncovering retired was a alleviation because I knew what it was, but nan first crippled I had to play pinch it, I was like, 'Now that I cognize this is simply a spot weird'. By nan clip nan prep camps came, I wasn't successful training. and group were like, 'Why are you not successful training?' and I was like, 'I've sewage a surgery leg, but I'll beryllium fine. Don't interest astir me. I'll play'."

KS: In nan quarter-final punishment shootout against Sweden, you weren't 1 of nan first punishment takers. Did you want to return one?

LB: We get asked earlier nan tourney which punishment would we beryllium happy to take. And I'm ever like, 'Whatever you want maine to take, immoderate you want maine to do, I will do that. If it's first, past whatever'. Normally we practise penalties astatine nan extremity of training, but I was ne'er successful nan extremity of training because of my leg. So I was seventh. I was thinking, 'I'm astir apt not going to return one' truthful I'm stood successful nan statement nan full clip cheering connected nan girls, keeping them focused. I'm conscionable trying to springiness them my power and assurance because successful my head, I didn't deliberation I was going to return one.

KS: But you didn't return nan punishment for illustration you were personification who was expecting not to return one...

LB: Well it wasn't nan champion punishment shootout, we each knew that, and location were nerves. I retrieve looking down nan statement and thinking, 'Wow location are truthful galore young players successful this team'. So erstwhile I did person to return nan punishment I was like, 'I've sewage this'.

KS: Fast guardant to nan extremity of nan tournament, what went done your mind erstwhile you had done it again?

LB: I don't cognize because possibly I americium ace assured pinch England and erstwhile we went to nan penalties I already had nan emotion that we had won it Just because of what we went done pinch Sweden, I knew that Spain hadn't gone done that and acquisition counts for a batch successful those moments. Being nan seventh punishment taker, I conscionable had afloat assurance successful nan girls connected nan pitch, shouting and screaming and celebrating because I knew it was going to happen. I had assurance successful Hannah [Hampton] and nan girls, truthful erstwhile it really went successful it wasn't a bigger wow infinitesimal for maine because I was like, 'Yeah, of people we were going to triumph nan shootout'.

KS: Let's study much astir Lucy Bronze distant from nan pitch. I americium taking you backmost to your childhood, and location has been a batch said astir your afloat sanction - Lucia Roberta Tough Bronze. Everyone is talking astir nan 'Tough' - it is rather apt isn't it? You person shown it your full career.

LB: It's my mum's maiden name, truthful nan English broadside of nan family. The group I americium closest to connected my mum's broadside are my nan, my auntie and evidently my mum. The 3 main women - they are nan Tough women. My auntie was a policewoman and my mum was a maths teacher, truthful Tough by name, reliable by nature. They show maine stories astir their activity and really they had to find a way, particularly arsenic a woman, to beryllium successful. I person been brought up by that. Yeah, it is my name, but I person inherited nan reliable women of my life, who person lived it arsenic well. I had nary different action but to beryllium for illustration that.

KS: Your dada is Portuguese. Do you see yourself half Portuguese?

LB: The only logic I was calved successful England was because my mum's dada passed distant nan week before. So we flew backmost to England and I was calved connected nan time of his funeral. We ended up staying successful England but that was ne'er nan plan. We utilized to spell backmost to Portugal each azygous clip we had a break. The kids successful schoolhouse were like, 'You're going to Portugal again?'. We very overmuch spent Christmases there, summers there, and half-terms there. We spent a batch of clip successful Portugal increasing up.

KS: You are passionate astir nan early of nan crippled and are connected a Professional Footballers' Association board. You springiness backmost rather a lot...

LB: I effort to. I sewage to a definite point, my mum said to me: "When you opportunity something, group listen." I don't deliberation I realised that because I was that awkward woman but erstwhile I sewage into my 20s my mum said: "They'll perceive to you, you tin speak up now." I put myself guardant for each subordinate committee known to women's football. And I conscionable want to thief people, and why not.

KS: Is location immoderate 1 illustration of you going retired your measurement to thief someone?

LB: The GB deaf shot squad will spell to nan Deaf Olympics successful November and they were struggling to raise money, truthful I gave them £10,000 for their training kit and I sewage them nan nutrition and other stuff.

KS: Why did you want to do that?

LB: Because I sewage that opportunity, truthful why shouldn't they? Just because they are not successful a mainstream limelight to beryllium capable to get nan sponsors they can't spend to do it.

KS: What is thing group get incorrect astir you?

LB: That I americium overly driven aliases excessively arrogant aliases excessively focused.

KS: Some group deliberation you are arrogant?

LB: I deliberation they did possibly erstwhile I was younger, but it's for illustration maine being truthful focused. I person spoken astir being autistic and emotion for illustration you get to nan solution quicker aliases you problem-solve quicker. I person ever been bully astatine that and not very bully astatine slowing down for different group to get connected nan aforesaid page arsenic me. Sometimes that comes crossed nan incorrect way, possibly for illustration maine being a spot bullish, but it is conscionable maine wanting to help. I tin springiness you nan solution, and I understand now that's not what group ever want, but possibly that has had maine misunderstood a lot.

KS: You said truthful openly astir your autism test and nan consequence was incredible. Did that astonishment you?

LB: I said astir it months agone and truthful overmuch has happened since then. Even now group want maine to speak astir it. It amazed maine because to maine - it's conscionable who I am. I suppose it does make maine different aliases typical successful a different way, but I person ne'er seen myself for illustration that, it's conscionable who I americium and really I think. It is bully to stock it pinch group because different group spell done that and nan consequence was crazy. People successful nan thoroughfare were coming up to speak to maine astir them aliases their kids. There was a young boy who came up to maine astatine a Chelsea crippled and he was like, 'I person been diagnosed arsenic autistic arsenic good and that's truthful cool that you person arsenic good and you play for Chelsea'. I conscionable thought that was truthful bully that he has thing like, 'I americium not different, I americium not a bad personification and I americium not naughty' which I deliberation has been a stereotype for years. He tin beryllium for illustration 'It is not a bad point and she tin play shot nan champion she tin because of it'. That's what I person said - it is because of my autism that I consciousness for illustration I became a amended footballer.