In a revelation of incredible resilience and determination, England star Lucy Bronze has confirmed she played the entire victorious Women’s European Championship campaign with a fractured tibia. The 33-year-old full-back was a cornerstone of the Lionesses‘ triumph, which was sealed with a dramatic 3-1 penalty shootout win over Spain in Sunday’s final.
“I’ve played the whole tournament with a fractured tibia but nobody knew and I’ve hurt my knee today”
Bronze told the BBC moments after the final whistle, explaining why her teammates had shown her so much support after the quarter-final. Her toughness was not lost on manager Sarina Wiegman, who called the defender “one of a kind.”
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Despite the immense pain, Bronze’s focus was on the team’s collective spirit. “We never lost belief in ourselves. There was a lot of noise on the outside but we stuck together. To go to extra time back to back to back is incredible. We give each other energy and what we’ve done today is incredible.”
The victory was especially sweet as it avenged their 2023 World Cup final defeat to the same Spanish team, making the Lionesses the first England team to win a major tournament on foreign soil.
“I don’t think we were thinking too much about the World Cup,” Bronze added. “It always goes that they win, then we win, then they win so it was our turn today. To win on penalties is an amazing feeling but to lose on penalties is the worst feeling. It wasn’t meant for them today, it was meant for England.”
