England and Chelsea player Lucy Bronze has spoken about how her diagnoses of autism and ADHD four years ago helped her understand herself – and propelled her career
England star Lucy Bronze has revealed that she has autism and ADHD – and believes her diagnoses have prolonged her career. Bronze is one of the most successful players in women’s football, having enjoyed a glittering career which has seen her win 22 major trophies.
The 33-year-old defender has won trophies with Liverpool, Manchester City, Lyon, Barcelona and her current side Chelsea, as well as representing England 129 times – putting her sixth on the all-time list for the Lionesses. Her performances have been so impressive that she finished as runner-up for the Ballon d’Or in 2019.
She has felt different from her teammates from a young age, but it was only in 2021 that she received official diagnoses of autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Speaking to her former teammate Alex Scott ahead of Neurodiversity Celebration Week, Bronze explained that autism has given her a “hyper-focus” on football, while ADHD has pushed her to train harder and strive for the top level.
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“It didn’t change anything essentially, but it was a bit of an eye opener,” she told BBC Sport of her diagnosis. “I just learned more about myself, understood why in certain situations I saw things differently to other people or acted in a different way to other people.
“Getting to sit down and actually speak through my traits and how it affects me, situations that make me feel good or bad, that was the thing that really clicked in my head and made me feel so much better.”
Bronze has felt misunderstood in the past, with her difficulty maintaining eye contact in conversation and tendency to touch her hair noted by others. “When I first joined up with England I could not speak to anyone,” she said.
“[I remember] Casey Stoney said to me, ‘You’ve never looked me in the eye when speaking to me’, and I was like, ‘It’s not because of you, it’s me’. I would watch Jill [Scott] and how she speaks to people. I thought I’d copy her a bit. I’m better at it now but I feel a bit uncomfortable sometimes.
“Hugging people, making eye contact when you speak, those two things I had to learn because they’re seen as the norm, and I found them so difficult.”
She received her diagnosis during a Lionesses camp and says her differences have been embraced by her teammates, who have made her feel comfortable in social situations.
Bronze believes her autism has played a huge role in her having such a long and successful career, having given her a healthy obsession with football.
Having joined Chelsea from Barcelona last year, she has been an important part of the Blues side which has won 26 and drawn two of their 28 games under manager Sonia Bompastor this season.
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