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Lucy Bronze, a defender for England, is a winner. It is a component of her DNA.

She has embarked on a hugely successful career, becoming England’s most decorated female footballer, and the 33-year-old is about to begin her seventh major tournament.

“Every game is like it could be my last,” I say. You don’t want to leave anything on the pitch when you sport that England shirt, according to Bronze.

Born to a Portuguese father and an English mother, Bronze grew up in north-east England, living on Holy Island – a tidal island in Northumberland also known as Lindisfarne – with her older brother and younger sister.

She was just 16 when she was recruited by the Portugal national team, and she now speaks Portuguese in addition to other languages.

At Alnwick Town, where she met her classmate at the time, Lucy Staniforth, became close friends with her future England midfielder.

“I remember seeing this girl with a red bob hairstyle and I thought she looked funky”, Staniforth told BBC Sport.

“I was trying to locate a nearby Alnwick girls’ team. She gave me a name from her mother. The strange thing was our gardens backed on to each other.

To me, they resembled “second families.” I spent a lot of my early years wreaking havoc around Lucy’s home.

Opportunities to play girls ‘ football then were hard to come by.

However, her mother Diane and her full name, Lucia Roberta Tough Bronze, did not stop her from doing so.

When Lucy was 11 years old, I had no idea what football was until they told me she couldn’t play because she was a girl, Diane Bronze said on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour in August 2023.

” I said ‘ don’t tell me my daughter can’t do something because she is a girl ‘ and that was the change. I never considered it to be a problem.

She said, “I had to do a lot of research to locate a place where she could play with girls.”

Bronze eventually joined Blyth Town and then Sunderland, with Staniforth following in her footsteps.

Diane frequently served as the driver for the two shared vehicles, and Bronze would later serve as the bridesmaid at Staniforth’s wedding.

“Those journeys in cars were enjoyable. We would have weird conversations”, said Staniforth.

“In that regard, I believe Lucy and I were meant to meet because we were mutually supportive and mismatched. Diane merely encouraged it.

” We’ve known each other for 20 years now. The relationship is one that lasts forever, in my opinion. She’s my new big sister, which I didn’t ask for, but I’m so happy to have.

“We both felt we could be ourselves and not be judged. We spoke the language that made us feel good, and we did the strangest things, which is what I adore about Lucy.

Bronze’s athleticism had been clear for a while.

She excelled in the 800-meter, cross-country, and pentathlon and both tennis and hockey while attending school.

Staniforth, who started out as a striker in football, recognized that challenging Bronze to compete in a running race was a worthwhile endeavor.

” We would text each other back and forth saying I did ‘ x ‘ amount. We probably climbed to about 800 at one point, in my opinion. That’s how serious it was, Staniforth said.

” We would spend hours kicking the ball to each other, doing tricks and learning new skills. In those early years, we had a very strong relationship.

Staniforth explains that Bronze “was more than anyone else in the pursuit of her dreams” in order to stand out from the competition.

She moved to the United States to join the University of North Carolina aged 17 – a significant step in Bronze’s journey to becoming an England international.

Bronze, who received a scholarship, joined the acclaimed Tar Heels college team as a freshman and pursued a career in sports science.

As the first British player to win the collegiate national championships, she would leave the US and had a lasting impact on former US women’s national team coach Anson Dorrance, who had previously led the country’s women’s national team between 1986 and 1994.

” She was shocked at her own level, “Dorrance told BBC Sport.

I asked, “What are your dreams, Lucy?,” and she didn’t seem to understand how good she was. I want to play for England, she said.

“I said: ‘ Well, I think you can play for England. ‘ They will never find me, she declared. Nobody will ever visit Sunderland.

Dorrance reached out to a contact at Arsenal and within weeks, Bronze was called up to the England Under-17s squad.

The winning mindset that has become a part of Bronze’s success was developed in North Carolina.

Dorrance was passionate about developing “aggressive, combative women” and designed a programme that encouraged that.

He created a “competitive cauldron” where players competed against one another in training competitions and competitions.

“When I started coaching women for the first time, I didn’t condescend to them,” Dorrance said.

“I wanted to create an environment where every single practice was a competitive war that was documented with data.

They were rated on a daily basis based on their winning percentage. Additionally, where their team-mates chose them in the draft was taken into consideration.

“Every player had a rank on what their team-mates thought of them. People in many cultures do not want to play with their closest friends, as does my culture.

They desired to engage the best players. They wanted to win. They opted not to appear on the next day’s bulletin board at the bottom of the list.

Bronze’s environment was a success, but it also put her morale to the test.

She volunteered to go head-to-head in the 1v1s with USA international Tobin Heath – a senior player at the time – but” the night before she couldn’t sleep”, said Dorrance.

She was undoubtedly going to lose. That wasn’t a query. The fear she had was the margin of defeat, “he said.

After her time in the US, Bronze’s career soared. Mo Marley, an England youth coach, and her subsequent arrival at Everton impressed her.

Moves to Liverpool, Manchester City, Lyon, Barcelona and Chelsea followed, with Bronze winning a total of five Champions League trophies, nine league titles and six domestic cups.

Ada Hegerberg, a former Ballon d’Or winner and former bronze medalist, describes her as a “hard worker” and someone she has a lot of respect for.

She told BBC Sport, “I’m impressed by the level she’s playing at right now.” She’s been through a lot in her career, injury-wise, and with different experiences.

She has competed at various clubs and consistently excels in her sport. She plays a fantastic game.

On the international stage, Bronze has become a leader.

Leah Williamson, England’s current captain, said, “I sat on the bench the entire time and I watched her a lot” during the 2019 World Cup.

“I observed a person who occasionally raised the team and carried it.” I had never seen anyone get every single ounce out of themselves like she did.

The destruction that occurred in France and Australia [in 2023] illustrates what it means, and it inspires me to do better for her because she deserves it.

England advanced to the semi-finals of the 2019 World Cup thanks to her stunning long-range goal against Norway.

Four years earlier, she had done the same, against the same opponent, to announce herself to the world in the last 16 of the 2015 World Cup in Canada.

Staniforth believes that was when people first noticed Bronze, who was later named Fifa Best player in 2020 and Ballon d’Or runner-up in 2019.

Her legacy is now completely clear.

She has a bursting trophy cabinet but she is also aware of her platform and has used it to raise awareness on topics such as her autism and ADHD diagnosis.

Bronze frequently takes younger players under her wing, including England forward Lauren James, on the boards of the Professional Footballers’ Association and FifPro’s player council.

I’m very proud of her, I say. I’m in awe of what she has done and continues to do, knowing the toll it takes on her body and the mentality that’s required, “added Staniforth.

“I watch her and ask, “How are you still here?” How are you continuing to run? She is a superstar.

Everyone aspires to resemble Lucy Bronze in some way.