Lucy Bronze has revealed that she played the entire Euro 2025 tournament with a fractured tibia in her left leg, describing the experience as “very painful”. The England right-back, who was substituted at half-time of extra time in the final against Spain due to a right knee injury, said she had kept the fracture secret throughout the competition.
The 33-year-old, whose middle names include Tough, told the BBC: “I’ve actually played the whole tournament with a fractured tibia but no one knew and then I’ve hurt my knee today on the other leg.” She added that the pain was worth it to help England retain the European Championship title, stating: “That’s what it takes to play for England. That’s what I’ll do.”
Bronze’s revelation came after Chloe Kelly scored the winning penalty in the final, capping a remarkable turnaround in her career. Kelly, who had been out of favour at Manchester City and moved to Arsenal on loan in January, said: “There were a lot of tears at full-time, especially when I saw my family, because those were the people that got me through those tough, dark moments.”
England manager Sarina Wiegman described the tournament as “the most chaotic and ridiculous tournament we have played”, noting that the team lost their opening match yet still became European champions. “Football is chaos,” she said. The FA announced a homecoming event on Tuesday, with an open-top bus procession along the Mall and a ceremony outside Buckingham Palace.
