The switch from Barcelona has seen her add a domestic Treble to an already long list of trophies, and while Chelsea was a new club for the experienced right-back, certain familiarities allowed her to feel at home right away.

Bronze spent three years at Lyon between 2017 and 2020, and that experience stood her in good stead for her move to Chelsea, where she reconnected with Sonia Bompastor and assistant coach Camille Abily.

‘I'm probably lucky to be a new player who's a little bit older so I know a lot of the English players, and some of the other players because I’ve played against them,’ said Bronze when we sat down with her before the FA Cup final. ‘I knew the backroom staff because of my time at Lyon, which also helped me settle in easier.

‘Sonia can lean on me a little bit more because I knew some of the players here, so it was an unusual type of start to being at a club, but it was something I really enjoyed. I'm experienced enough to know what I'm doing so it was great to just step right in and help out.

‘I have a good relationship with Sonia and Camille (Abily, the assistant manager). I think as time goes on, that will get even stronger. I played alongside Camille at Lyon. We have a different relationship in that we know what each other is like on the pitch, which isn't what you usually get between a coach and a player.’

Bronze left these shores for Lyon in 2017 and after a two-year spell with Manchester City between 2020 and 2022, she set off for Barcelona for another two-year stint, where she took her tally of Champions League winner's medals to five.

Returning to England in the summer of 2024 has made her realise how much the Women’s Super League has grown in that time.

The experienced right-back is loving being back on home soil and has settled in off the pitch, too.

‘The league evolved a lot while I was away,’ she continued. ‘I think the fans have changed because I left when we won the Euros with the Lionesses, and it was off the back of that when things exploded. I always say I felt like missed out a little bit on those experiences, along with Keira [Walsh] and Georgia Stanway because we went and played abroad afterwards.

‘To come back and to see the change has been amazing. It’s gone from strength to strength - playing in all these different stadiums, and the teams are getting better too. How tight some of the games are now shows that. I know Chelsea have won the title six years in a row, but excluding this year, it's normally been quite tight.

‘Seeing so many of my old team-mates playing in England every week has been nice, and it’s been great for my family to come to some more games too. I feel like I've been here for 10 years already.

‘Where I live now is one of my favourite places that I've ever lived. The countryside and the green remind me of the North-East, but then the weather's closer to France and Spain! It’s a nice mix of things that I'm used to, and I enjoy the lifestyle life - nice people, and great dog walks!’

Bronze helped Chelsea to a Champions League semi-final in her first season at the club.

While the defeat to her former side Barcelona was undoubtedly disappointing, the defender had some insightful reflections to offer having benefited from some time to process the result.

‘When you think about it, we've got a new coach and staff who want a new style of play whilst keeping what's good about Chelsea from before,’ she explained. ‘The Barcelona team have played in numerous semi-finals now. They're a well-oiled machine, they know how they play, they know how they set up. You interchange players there and it stays pretty similar.

‘I think that's the journey that we're on now. I’ve obviously played for Lyon and Barca and I've seen what it takes to get there, and then once you do get there, how you can stay there. You get in the rhythm, and I think we're a place where we're finding that rhythm. Our league season showed that.

‘It gives us something to work on. We now understand what we need to get better. That is the level, that's what it takes to win. I don’t think we're as far off as the result suggested. We need to play a bit smarter, especially away from home. We let the game get away from us because we're not used to losing.’

Those results against Barcelona stood in stark contrast to an unbeaten Treble-winning campaign on the domestic front.

Bronze played over 2,500 minutes in all competitions during 2024/25, and revealed exactly what it took to complete such an incredible accomplishment.

‘Through different parts of the season, there have been players who are firing at different times and dragging the team through difficult moments,' she said. ‘It takes a lot more than just two or three players to win a league and to dominate across so many competitions.

‘The last game was the only game the team was really thinking about going unbeaten because we'd already won the league. I think to go that amount of time without being beaten is incredible, when you think of all the ups and downs that you go through in a season - sometimes you’re in form, sometimes you're not.

‘Individually, you need to be adaptable. This year, I’ve played games, not played games, played in different positions, changed positions during the game, I’ve come off and I’ve come on. I think that's the same for pretty much everyone. As a team, you've got to be able to adapt week in and week out - we haven't played the same XI players this entire season.’