“I moved international locations twice to win the Women’s Champions League so, for me, it’s all the time meant a lot to me to be a part of the competition,” Chelsea’s Lucy Bronze tells UEFA, as she makes an attempt to carry the trophy for a sixth time with a 3rd completely different membership.
The English right-back has already achieved important success in Europe, profitable the Women’s Champions League in all three of her seasons with OL Lyonnes and twice with Barcelona earlier than shifting to Stamford Bridge in 2024.
Chelsea have by no means gained Europe’s elite girls’s membership competition, and the Blues will want to overturn a two-goal first-leg deficit against Arsenal on Wednesday to progress to a fourth consecutive semi-final.
Bronze’s aspect got here from behind in similar circumstances against Manchester City at this stage of final season’s competition, and the defender confidently acknowledged at full time of final week’s 3-1 defeat to the Gunners: “We know we can overturn this result.”
Speaking to UEFA earlier than the quarter-finals commenced, Bronze mirrored on what profitable this season’s title would imply to Chelsea: “For the club’s journey, it would be huge.
“It’s the one piece of silverware that is simply evaded the membership; making the remaining, being so shut in the semi-finals and beating high groups in the Champions League however not really fairly making it over the line.
“I turn up every day and you see the list of trophies, whether it’s the league, the cups — what Chelsea have won in recent history is insane.
“The Champions League performs an enormous half in the historical past of the males’s aspect as nicely, so it will be good to lastly get our palms on it.”
Bronze’s got her first taste of European football when she reached the quarter-finals with Everton back in 2010, and went on to become the first defender to be named UEFA Women’s Player of the Year in 2018/19 and the only player to win consecutive Women’s Champions League titles at more than one club.
“I’ve had quite a journey in the Champions League, playing for different teams. Even from my first Champions League game for Everton to all the teams I’ve played for, even abroad, it’s been amazing to be a small part of the history of the Women’s Champions League.
“I’m fairly lucky to give you the chance to draw on so many experiences of profitable it, but additionally enjoying in groups the place having perception makes a distinction.
“The team that you’re playing against will have world-class players, but doing what you do well means the other team is just as scared of you as perhaps some of the other players might be of them.
“Having that perception is one thing that resonates with all the groups who’ve been profitable in the Champions League. It’s not all the time the workforce that performs the greatest all through the season that comes out on high, whether or not that’s in the remaining or earlier phases, it’s nearly sticking collectively and believing that you are able to do it.”
Last season, Chelsea gained a home treble and accomplished their Women’s Super League season unbeaten, however lost 8-2 on aggregate to Barcelona in the final 4 in Europe.
“Off the back of last season’s Champions League, we’ve learned a lot and matured a lot. The group as a whole is relatively young, but I think bringing in myself, Keira Walsh, Ellie Carpenter — players who have been successful in the Champions League not just once but numerous times — that adds to the experience.”
Under the new league part format launched this season, Chelsea confronted six completely different opponents quite than three groups twice every in a gaggle, which Bronze felt benefitted Chelsea.
She cited Chelsea’s 1-1 draw with Barcelona at Stamford Bridge and 2-1 win away to Wolfsburg, which secured a quarter-final spot for the Blues, as two of their hardest however most enjoyable video games this marketing campaign.
“It brought out the best in the team, whether that was the quality on the pitch or the competitiveness. I think in those two games, you saw a side of Chelsea that, faced with any opposition, we can come out and give a good game.”
Bronze’s starvation to obtain success in Europe took her to France and Spain, however now the two-time Women’s EURO winner hopes to carry the trophy with a membership from her dwelling nation.
“It’s a competition that I watched from afar for many years and watched so many superstars lift the trophy; I think back to Wendie Renard, someone who I played with, but watching her lift the trophy so many times was just inspirational to me.
“I assume it’s the competition I hold closest to my coronary heart, I all the time have carried out, and each workforce that I go to, I discover the Champions League is all the time the one factor that continues to be the identical, it doesn’t matter what workforce I’ve performed for in Europe.”
* This interview was performed on 12 March
