LUCY BRONZE is desperate to fulfil a dream that has so far eluded her during a trophy-laden 17-year playing career.
Lifting the Champions League trophy with an English club is a milestone the Chelsea star, 32, is yet achieve.
But it’s something she hopes to do with the Blues determined to end their trophyless run in the tournament.
Adding Europe’s biggest club prize to their collection of 16 trophies – including seven WSL titles – is a top priority in a new era for the Blues under Sonia Bompastor.
The France-born head coach, 44, has won the contest as a midfielder and a manager during a playing and coaching career spanning 17 years with Lyon.
And Bronze is no stranger to winning the tournament having done so three times with the French side, and twice with Barcelona.
The right-back, who joined Chelsea on a two-year deal in July after two years in Spain, said: “Those moments: Champions League finals, World Cup finals, European finals, they don’t come along that often.
“They’re the best feelings that you have as an athlete.
“Going for those every year is something that really motivates me but I’m motivated by the fact that I absolutely love what I do.
“I’m not at the start of my career so I had to make smart moves to try to accomplish these dreams that I have.
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“Winning the Champions League with an English team has always been my dream.
“Coming to Chelsea, I wanted to win the Champions League with an English team and they are the best team to do that with.
“I won the tournament for the first time at Lyon, but nothing would ever be as good as doing it with an English team.
“That’s something that I felt playing for England as well, winning a tournament with England means more to me than anything else.”
Bronze’s hunger to help Chelsea become the first English side since Arsenal to win Europe’s elite club competition is an ambition shared by her boss.
It has been 17 years since a team from these shores has triumphed in the contest.
Within that time clubs from France and Germany have been the most dominant sides prior to Barcelona’s emergence as champions on three occasions since 2021.
Bompastor’s former club Lyon are the contest’s current record winners.
Since 2011 they have lifted the trophy eight times, with Bronze featuring in their wins in 2018, 2019 and 2020.
In her first Blues press conference last month Bompastor made it clear that Champions League glory with Chelsea was among her targets.
And she believes a triumph in Europe would take her team “to the next level”.
Bompastor, whose side will host Aston Villa on September 20, said: “They have had a lot of success in past seasons thanks to Emma (Hayes).
“My job is to work really hard to build on that legacy and try to bring the club to the next level.
“Being able to win the Champions League will be a big challenge because there are a lot of really competitive clubs in Europe.
“I think we have all the talent in the squad to go to the final and have a chance to win it.”
In Bronze’s mind Chelsea emerging as victors in the tournament is just a matter of the team adding a “small bit” to their big pushes in Europe.
Adding that small bit at the end, it’s the biggest push, but the smallest little bit is needed to try to win the trophy.
Lucy Bronze
Past forays have seen them notch up firsts including beating two-time contest winners Wolfsburg for the first time in the tournament in 2021.
They did so on the way to reaching the contest’s decider for the first time, where they were defeated by Barcelona.
But Bronze, whose chat with Bompastor after this year’s final in June paved the way for move to London, believes her gaffer’s experience will be key to the Blues’ aim to join the list of tournament’s winners.
The Northumberland-born defender, who helped Barcelona beat Lyon in this year’s final added: “Chelsea have been to the final.
“They’ve beaten the top teams. They are already in a lot better position.
“Adding that small bit at the end, it’s the biggest push, but the smallest little bit is needed to try to win the trophy.
“Sonia’s been very experienced in the Champions League and that makes a huge difference.”
Since her senior club football debut for Sunderland at 16 in 2007, Bronze has played for the Black Cats, Everton, Liverpool, Lyon and for Manchester City in two separate stints.
During her playing career in England, the Lioness has won seven major domestic trophies including three WSL titles.
The full-back was also an influential figure in England’s run to the last Women’s Euros and World Cup finals, helping her team become European Champions for the first time in 2022.
Next summer Sarina Wiegman’s Lionesses will attempt to make history with their hope of becoming the first England team to win back-to-back Euros.
Since the Lionesses’ tournament win two years ago, Bronze made 69 appearances for Barcelona across all competitions during her two-year spell there.
But while the Catalan giants offered her a contract extension, reports claim the full-back was not a guaranteed to be a starter next season.
On whether competing for an England spot for next year’s Euros influenced to her decision to leave the club, Bronze said: “I knew that as a Barcelona player I didn’t think I could keep going at that level.
“Playing that amount of games every year, and all the travel they go through.
“So coming back to England there are less games, maybe they are a bit more intense each, but I have more time to recover which I think is more important to me.
“The (Women’s Super) league is special because the rivalries are getting stronger each year.
“They are the games you look forward to no matter what league you play in.
“To come back and to play in these rivalries, and to witness other ones like City and United, that’s what the supporters like to see.
“It brings the drama to the game so I am looking forward to that.
“The Chelsea-Arsenal game is the one I’m looking forward the most.”
