Lucy Bronze has won countless titles with Manchester City, Lyon, and Barcelona, as well as with her current club, Chelsea.
But she has always felt that she has been different. Now she is opening up about her autism in an interview with the British BBC.
When I first joined the national team, I couldn't talk to anyone. I remember watching how Jill Scott (English national team legend with 161 caps) talked to people and trying to copy her. I'm better today, but it's still uncomfortable sometimes, she says.
"An eye-opener"
But in 2021, she got answers to many questions when she was diagnosed for the first time.
It was a bit of an eye-opener. I learned a lot more about myself and understood why I was, or saw things, differently sometimes.
"Hyper-focused"
But according to Bronze, who has made 129 appearances for the English national team, the diagnosis has almost exclusively helped her throughout her career.
It's how I handle things. I'm super-focused. People usually say: "Oh, you're so incredibly passionate". But I don't know if I'm that passionate. I'm just obsessed. And that's my autism, I'm hyper-focused on football, she says and continues:
Some girls on the team ask: "Are you sure you're 33, how do you manage?", but all the things I have because of my autism have been to my advantage.
