Lucy Bronze on her morning routine, injury recovery and leading by example

When Chloe Kelly stepped up to take England’s fifth penalty in the 2025 Euro final this summer, it was one of those heart-in-mouth moments. But for Lucy Bronze, there was no trepidation. “I wasn’t nervous, because I knew it was going in,” she says. “When it went to penalties, I’d already concluded that we were going to win. After the penalty shootout against Sweden, we spoke about them a lot, so I knew everyone was fully focused and ready to go, and Hannah [Hampton] was in a good place as well. I was smiling when the ball hit the back of the net because in my head I already knew – we’ve won this.”

Three months later, and Bronze is back at camp with the Lionesses for the first time since their victory. But the last couple of months haven’t been a walk in the park. Since being subbed off during extra time in the final against Spain, Bronze has played just 30 minutes of competitive football. The rest of the time has been spent rehabbing the broken tibia she played with throughout the Euros – something she only revealed after the final.

While fans and the media may have been none the wiser, behind the scenes, Bronze had to follow a strict regimen to keep herself fit. Straight after the games ended, she’d use an Exogen ultrasound bone healing device for 20 minutes, often followed by bags of ice strapped to her leg. Jumping in an ice bath was also part of her routine (with a protein shake in hand), before eating, enjoying a warm bath and going to bed. Oh, and she always made time to see her family and friends – an essential amid the chaos of a busy tournament. 

“We didn’t scan my leg throughout the tournament,” she says. “We knew it was inevitable that it was going to get worse. I’d only take painkillers when I was playing in games, so I could feel the pain and monitor whether it was getting worse. The doctor told me that if I ever got to the point where I had pain when I was trying to sleep, then they were going to have to stop me from playing, because that’s when it could be dangerous. But obviously, I never got to that point. I just had to be honest with the doctors and do what I could.”

Bronze’s commitment to staying fit enough to play – let alone stepping on the pitch with the pain in her leg – is a sign of just how important playing for England is to her. Since her senior debut in June 2013, Bronze has made 140 appearances for England – placing her joint-fourth on the all-time list of appearances for the Lionesses. And despite all the club trophies and individual accolades she’s picked up over the years (five Champions League titles, three FA Cups and five Ballon d’Or nominations, among others), it’s stepping onto the pitch with an England shirt that she describes as her “heart and soul”.

Thanks to some big retirements and a flurry of younger players coming through since England first won the Euros back in 2022, Bronze is now the oldest member of the squad – a role she’s grown to love. “Being a senior player has been one of my favourite phases of my career,” she says. “Players like Alex Scott, Rachel Yankey, Jill Scott and Karen Carney had such a big impact on me and made such a huge difference for my career, and now I’ve achieved almost everything I set out to do, I get to enjoy playing football again and helping the younger players to achieve what I have. At the Euros it was so good to see their excitement, their frustration, their love of the game. There are so many parts of them that remind me of myself, and I want to help them get what I’ve had – or even better.” 

While England don’t have a tournament this summer, Bronze’s schedule is anything but empty. As well as helping Chelsea to chase their seventh consecutive WSL title, she’ll also be hoping to help the team win the Champions League for the first time in their history – and claim her sixth in the process. But with a new format which will see the squad play teams across Europe home and away, as well as an exciting line-up of friendlies with England, she’ll have to do a lot of travelling. So, how does she cope with the demand of it all?

“Sticking with a routine is what always works for me, but it isn’t easy,” Bronze admits. “I’ve changed clubs so many times and each club tends to have a different way of doing things, which is the hardest thing. But travelling with the essentials also helps.”

When it comes to her packing list, Bronze has things down to a T. She’s always got her Suri toothbrush on hand (she’s an ambassador for the brand), as well as a bag full of the toiletries she uses at home. In fact, she admits she has three sets of the same toiletries – big ones for her shower at home, medium-sized ones for her training kit bag and hand luggage-sized ones for travel (she’s not a fan of checking them in her luggage). 

Routine is also essential for her when she’s at home – especially when it comes to her recovery. Bronze previously spoke to Stylist about the wellness routine she was relying on to keep herself at the top of her game leading up to the Euros, but now the tournament is over, little has changed. “I like waking up early  and then having an ice bath or cold shower before taking my dog out,” she says. “I started the ice baths in Barcelona because I had one on my balcony, but it’s been a bit tougher doing them here, so sometimes I swap it out for just a cold shower.” 

She continues: “When I get home from training, I take the dog out again before getting ready for bed. I’ve got into a really good routine recently of using red lights in the hours before bed, even in my bathroom when I’m brushing my teeth; sleep is such an important recovery process, and the red light is great for that. I think there’s a lot to be said about starting your day properly and finishing it properly – my body’s my tool, so I have to look after it.”  

Images: Getty