Lucy Bronze: Meet the parents behind England star as Lionesses push for Euro 2022 glory
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Updated 25/07/2022 at 07:32 GMT
Eurosport caught up with Diane and Joaquin Bronze at Euro 2022, the proud parents of England star Lucy Bronze. England are one hurdle away from a final at home soil at Wembley Stadium, having overcome Spain in a thrilling quarter-final via extra time last week. So what do the full-back’s parents make of her progress as she prepares for one of the biggest matches of her career?
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The Lionesses’ push to bring home their first ever international trophy continues, and Lucy Bronze’s family cannot wait to continue following England’s journey.
Bronze’s parents, who were alongside her aunt and grandmother, spoke to Eurosport ahead of the final group stage match against Northern Ireland, which they won 5-0.
The match at St Mary's in Southampton was the second time the family attended a Euro 2022 match - the first being England’s opener against Austria in Manchester.
“We went to Old Trafford, that was something else," said Diane, Lucy’s mother.
"It was amazing: the atmosphere, the kids, the singing. It didn’t matter that it took an hour and a half to get away.”
Bronze, who has been a part of the senior national team since 2013, has become an integral part of this team. Her unique skillset and talent, combined with an abundance of experience, makes her invaluable. However, despite this, her father, Joaquin, says that watching his daughter play at the highest level is “still a little bit surreal”.
“When I was at Old Trafford, I was thinking, ‘It’s not that long ago I was leaning against a bar with 20 of us watching a match,” added Diane.
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A perfect group stage for England meant that they went on to play Spain in the quarter-finals. While the Spaniards proved to be a tough test, with Esther Gonzalez opening the scoring for the visitors in the second half, England mounted an unbelievable comeback with goals from Ella Toone and Georgia Stanway.
While it was, of course, crucial for England to win so they could advance, the Bronze family were particularly keen for England to get to the semi-final as it is set to take place in Sheffield, where Bronze’s older brother Jorge lives. He’s yet to watch his sister in person yet during this tournament, and Tuesday’s match against Sweden will be the perfect opportunity to do so.
The match against Spain was also an important one for Bronze because she got the chance to face several of her future team-mates. Before the Euros, it was announced that she would leave Manchester City for the second time, signing a contract with Spanish giants Barcelona. Nine of Spain's Euros squad play for the Catalan club, as does Alexia Putellas, the current holder of the Ballon d'Or Feminin, who was forced to miss out on the tournament after tearing her cruciate ligaments on the eve of the opening match.
The move to Spain will certainly be a new environment for Bronze, having spent 13 years of her senior career playing in England. But as her mother points out, it’s nothing she hasn’t done before.
“Well, we’ve kind of been through it a little bit with going to Lyon [in 2017]. Lyon was amazing... They played some of the matches in the big stadium [Parc Olympique Lyonnais], and in fact, we went to Barcelona to [watch] a Champions League match. Lyon won [that game] because they won the Champions League [that year], so it’s all exciting. I just think it’s a great life experience.
“Lucy learned to speak French [during her time at Lyon]. At Old Trafford, she got clobbered. She had to give an interview in French with Canal+, so now it’s like ‘Sort the Spanish out, girl!’ And dad is Portuguese, so he’s hoping it’s going to help her Portuguese.”
But for now, Bronze is fully focused on the Lionesses. The team is 90 minutes away from a final at Wembley, and Bronze’s parents simultaneously gave their thoughts on whether England will make it all the way.
“Never think that far ahead,” warned Diane.
“100%,” said Joaquin with the utmost confidence.
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