Lucy Bronze’s next two games tell her tale as one of the

Games against France are in north-east, where journey started, and near Lyon, where defender won three Champions Leagues

Less than 48 hours after Lucy Bronze had lifted her fifth Champions League trophy, she was reporting to St George’s Park to prepare for the Lionesses’ two Euro 2025 qualifiers against France.

Bronze stepped out of her taxi at England’s training base with dark glasses on and smiles aplenty. The 32-year-old starred in Barcelona’s 2-0 defeat of her former side Lyon, but her presence was a haunting reminder of the words she penned for the global players’ union, Fifpro, two weeks earlier.