Lucy Bronze (29 years old) was proclaimed the Best Player in the World by FIFA last December during the delivery of the ‘The Best Awards', To become the first defense in history to obtain the award, both for men and women. A milestone for this woman who has seen her talent recognized after a path of obstacles since, at the age of 11, she decided to be a professional footballer.
The story of Lucia Roberta Tough Bronze (1991) is worthy of a Hollywood script. Born in the town of Berwick upon Tweed, she watched soccer with her father, who at the age of ten bought her the kit for the national team, Portugal, so that she could start training.
Lucy He played with his older brother, Jorge, and his friends after leaving school. He signed up for a boys' team until the English Federation decided to withdraw mixed teams from the age of 12, considering that it could be dangerous for girls due to the risk of injury. It was a severe blow for a player who was already beginning to stand out and who, after seeing the popular movie ‘I want to be like Beckham’, he was very clear that he was going to dedicate himself to football.
She was the only girl who played soccer in her region, in a rural environment. Luckily both his mother Diane Bronze as her aunt, JulieThey decided to help her as much as possible. Lucy's dream could not fade. Thus, after verifying that professional women's 'soccer' was possible in the United States, the three of them went on vacation to North Carolina in search of an opportunity.
“She turned our family summer vacations into taking me to see how these clubs worked,” she explains. Lucy Bronze in an interview for FIFA. They urged him to return when he came of age, so he entered the University of North Carolina at the age of 18, where he trained every day and played twice a week. There he understood that everything was possible.
Before, he had enrolled at the age of 15 in the Sunderland quarry to train. From there he went to Everton, Liverpool, Manchester City and for three years to Olympique de Lyon, where he established himself as a star and won three Champions in a row.
However, not everything was a bed of roses. During her time at Everton she had to work as a waitress in a bar to pay for her studies in Sports Science, which she combined with her work on the pitch.
Now the English defense is an icon in their country and has entered the list of athletes of the year by the newspaper ‘The Guardian'. Captain of her country, this summer she left Olympique de Lyon to sign for Manchester City. After winning the UEFA Best Female Player award and the recent 'The Best', Lucy Bronze's is one of the most emotional overcoming stories in women's football.