Less than 48 hours after Lucy Bronze had lifted her fifth Champions League trophy, she was reporting to St George's Park to prepare for the two Euro 2025 qualifiers against France, the first of which is at St James' Park tonight.
Bronze stepped out of her taxi at England's training base with dark glasses on and smiles aplenty. The 32-year-old starred in Barcelona's 2-0 defeat of her former side Lyon, but her presence was a haunting reminder of the words she penned for the global players' union, Fifpro, two weeks earlier.
"After winning the Champions League final with Lyon in 2019, I had two days off before heading to the Women's World Cup. Just 48 hours. That's it," she wrote, explaining the gruelling scheduling that has meant that she will have a family holiday this summer for the first time in more than a decade.
"We're asking for proper rest periods and proper scheduling to end clashes. If the football calendar was organised in a way that those clashes didn't have to happen, it would take a weight off players' minds so we can focus on our game. As for me, with Team GB sadly not qualifying for the Olympics this time around, I've been able to make other plans this summer. And I must admit, I'm dead excited. I just wish I didn't have to miss a tournament to get the rest I need."
This story is from the May 31, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
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This story is from the May 31, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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