IT’S official: Lucy Bronze is even tougher than England’s hardest full-back Stuart Pearce.
So says the man himself, who was blown away by Bronze’s revelation after winning Euro 2025 that she had played the entire tournament with a fractured tibia.
Shutterstock EditorialLucy Bronze played the whole of Euro 2025 with a fractured tibia[/caption]
EPABronze lifts the Euros trophy alongside her triumphant England team-mates[/caption]
Stuart Pearce was famed for his passion for England in his playing days
Three Lions legend Pearce famously tried to ‘run off’ a broken leg for ten minutes while playing for West Ham against Watford in 1999.
Yet Bronze living up to her middle name of ‘Tough’ and ignoring the pain to help the Lionesses get over the line left the 63-year-old in awe.
The man affectionately nicknamed ‘Psycho’ told SunSport: “It’s obviously proved she’s a hell of a lot tougher than I am, that is for sure!
“She’s got incredible determination. On occasion she went down injured and you thought that was her done and she’s coming off the pitch. She went back on again.
“Subsequently it appears she’s had this problem with her tibia which is a real problem. To get through that shows great guts, great courage and says a hell of a lot about her.”
Chelsea defender Bronze, 33, was an integral part of England’s squad, which achieved a second successive Euros title as they beat Spain on penalties on Sunday.
Pearce, synonymous with pride in playing for the Three Lions badge, saw kindred spirits all over Sarina Wiegman’s determined squad for their passion to represent their nation.
And he was impressed with their resilience when withstanding heavy pressure against the Spanish, and in the dramatic comeback win over Italy in the semi-final.
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The Euro 96 star added: “They were magnificent. Every interview that any of them gave and all their performances echoed a group that were passionate to represent their country.
“It filled me with pride to see, to be honest with you.
“The ability to stay in games is a real quality in football, when you’re being outplayed and the opposition are on top, to maintain your focus and wrestle momentum back.
“We talk about the quality and the technique of players all the time, but to have the courage and the togetherness to do that, I think was their ace card over this summer.”
Pearce hailed Wiegman’s coaching acumen throughout the tournament, particularly her substitutions and handling of Bronze’s fitness.
He said that if the Dutchwoman were ever interested in managing in the men’s game, her CV proves she would be more than capable of making the transition.
The former Nottingham Forest boss added: “Football management is football management.
“I don’t see it as outlandish that a woman could come into the men’s game at the highest level, I really don’t. Not with her CV because it stands alongside anybody else’s.
“Whether that’s a career path that she’s looked at at any given time (is unclear). What I see at the moment is somebody who really enjoys the job she’s in at present.
“The FA would be stupid to let her walk out at any time soon. When you’ve got someone of that high quality that is delivering trophies, you’ve got to say credit to them.
“The recruitment was wonderful in the first place. But somewhere down the line, if she went into the men’s game, I think she would be successful.”
After the Lionesses’ triumph, as well as the men’s Under-21s’ own Euros glory earlier this summer, it is now over to the men’s senior team to keep the good times rolling at the World Cup in a year’s time.
Pearce added: “All of a sudden as a men’s senior player, you’re thinking ‘I’ve got to emulate that’.
“This is the standard that the FA and England have set now and we’ve got to be part of it.”
Stuart Pearce was speaking on behalf of next-gen Fantasy Football mobile game CLUB. Download for Apple and Android in the app store now.
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