When Millie arrived from Doncaster Rovers Belles in 2014, she was just 21 years old, the Blues were still playing at Staines Town’s Wheatsheaf Park, and the centre-back had yet to taste major senior success.

Fast forward ten years and Bright now has 16 winner's medals as a Blue, including seven Women's Super League crowns, was a key part of the England team that won the 2022 Women's EUROs, and captained her country to a World Cup final.

Bright and Chelsea's continual improvement to become one of the best centre-backs and clubs on the planet have gone hand-in-hand. It is something the 31-year-old does not take for granted.

'Being at Chelsea means being part of a legacy. It’s more than just a football club,' Bright said. 'In football, you might stay a couple of years and move on, but when you’re at Chelsea, it doesn’t feel like that.

'There is something that draws you in – the winning, the community feel, the fans and the family effect.

'It’s all of those things that draw you in, but especially the fans. They are special and you want to represent them and win for them. Being Chelsea has become part of my DNA. I am Chelsea and Chelsea is me. That’s how you feel when you play for this club.'

It is a club that today (Monday 10 March 2025) celebrates our 120th birthday and Bright has been a huge part of the success over the last decade.

Sunday's 1-0 win over Crystal Palace was her 281st appearance for the Blues and was the latest instance where she wore the captain's armband.

Bright believes the culture built under the stewardship of Paul Green and Emma Hayes, and now Green alongside Sonia Bompastor, has been pivotal to our success.

'I can honestly just be myself at Chelsea,' Bright said. 'There has not been a day here where I’ve had to be or feel like something I’m not.

'Everyone has a role to play – no matter what their job is at the club - but also everyone is just a person. You get to know people and you get to build those relationships, especially when you’ve been here for a long time.

'It’s being able to express yourself on the pitch, push boundaries and be a part of the movement within the club. We can be a part of what we want the legacy to be.'

Chelsea women had yet to lift a top-flight title when Bright arrived in December 2014, but her first season was to end with a WSL and Women's FA Cup double.

It is something that had a lasting impact on her.

When asked what influenced her approach to being a Chelsea player and now captain, Bright replied: 'I’d say my first year here. I came in and we won the double and I immediately knew where I was at, this is what we do and this is what it’s going to be like moving forward.

'That was what I wanted and that was the start of the legacy, really. When you get a piece of that, you want more and more. You won’t stop until you get it.'

Yet Bright was quick to highlight the crucial role played by the players who came before.

A team playing under our name had enjoyed success very soon after the FA's ban on women's football was lifted in 1972 but the 'official Chelsea women’s football team' was not launched until 1992.

After multiple promotions and success in the local leagues, we moved into the regional divisions, which now fed directly into the top national league, in 1999/00 and secured immediate promotion into the Women’s Premier League (Southern).

The 2003/04 campaign was to be the final season as a self-financed side and as the club became more heavily involved, we have since gone from strength to strength to the point where we are now widely recognised as one of the best women's teams in the world.

Bright said: 'It’s so important we recognise those who came before us and paved the way. I’m a big believer in respecting what came before you. You have to acknowledge and appreciate them.

'We would not be in the position we’re in if it wasn’t for the people that came before us. Times were so different back then to what they are now – we’re in a privileged position. We work hard and give our all, but the people who came before us had to work twice as hard with a lot less.

'It’s something we do because of the love we have for the sport and the club. We want to keep contributing to that. In 10 years, we want people to look back and look at what we did to take things even further.'