As she gazes out over the pitch at Stamford Bridge - where she’s had countless valuable experiences - we take a walk down memory lane with our captain. From her early days to becoming the club's leader, our No.4 shares the milestones that have shaped her into the player she is today.

First competitive appearance

After signing for the Blues in December 2014, Bright’s maiden competitive appearance would arrive when the 2015 season began.

She had been with her new club for a few months by the time the away fixture with Notts County came around in March and during that time she had to embrace a new way of life after making the move from Doncaster Rovers Belles at only 21 years old.

‘The early days of my Chelsea career were a bit of a blur because it was just such a whirlwind,’ Millie tells us. ‘It was so much change.

‘There were so many new things I had to deal with. I went from being a semi-professional player to being a full-time professional. There were new expectations of me, a change of lifestyle, and I moved away from home.

‘The biggest thing for me was going from semi-pro to pro and what is expected in that. You go from training twice a week and doing your own sessions to training every single day, doing meetings, analysis and a whole education side to the game.

‘Not only was I having to perform immediately, I was learning what it meant to be a professional footballer.’

And she soon had to learn that things might not always be plain sailing on the pitch as her first competitive game ended in a 2-1 defeat to Notts County. Fortunes soon turned, though, as her first home game at Staines saw Chelsea claim a 1-0 win over reigning league champions Liverpool.

Bright would start both of those matches and amidst such a transitional period in her life, it was encouraging to know she had the backing of then-manager Emma Hayes.

‘Starting with a loss. I learned how to adapt,’ Millie adds. ‘That’s the biggest lesson I’ve learned in football – you have to adapt to every situation that is thrown at you.

‘My role was so clear when I got to the club. It was to train hard, to keep learning and to keep improving. It was to contribute to the team in any way that I could.

‘When I first came here, I got my head down and worked extremely hard. I was switched on, and whilst I was struggling with other things, my head was completely in the game.

‘I was there to prove myself, so having that trust to start games from the beginning was massive. I put myself in a position where I could be relied upon. When I hang up my boots, hand on heart, that is something that I can pride myself on. I’ve been a reliable player for this club.’

First trophy

Bright’s maiden campaign at the Blues ended with the women’s team winning their first-ever major honours. An FA Cup triumph arrived at Wembley, before Chelsea lifted a first WSL title.

Almost ten years on, Bright is more than familiar with the big occasions and winning at England’s national stadium. But back then, as she waited in the tunnel ahead of the clash with Notts County, it was a daunting prospect for the 21-year-old.

‘We had strict instructions from Emma to keep our eyes down and to not look into the crowd,’ our captain explains. ‘We had to go out there and get the job done and look up afterwards and go celebrate.

‘It shows how far we’ve come. Now, I always go out and embrace the fans and get them on our side. Get them cheering. Get them noisy. But, for our first final, they were the instructions.

‘Every final we played in, Emma gave us something sentimental. A little gift or some handwritten words. It was just about us being together no matter what.

‘That final we just wanted to get the job done to make sure we came out on top. Emma really understood the team she had at the time. It was an inexperienced team for playing in a final at Wembley in front of a big crowd, but we did it.’

After lifting the most iconic trophy in English women's football, former manager Hayes said from then on her team played like champions. Something which they then did as we won our first league title.

It was even more special to the Blues after they had missed out on WSL glory the season before on the final day of the season, finishing second to Liverpool on goal difference.

‘It was amazing,’ Millie recalls. ‘I certainly wasn’t dreaming that in my first season, I’d hit the ground running like I did, but it was an eye-opener to the club I was at.

‘Emma had made it clear what we wanted to be and where we wanted to go. It became crystal clear what I was a part of. Lifting two trophies in my first year was just incredible. We had a fantastic team that looked after each other.

‘After the heartbreak the year before, we were so eager - and I say we because I felt how much the team wanted to bounce back even though I wasn’t here that season.

‘We went for it and that feeling of lifting trophies has just been contagious ever since.’

First game at Stamford Bridge

During Bright’s time at Chelsea, she has witnessed not only the growth of the team also the landscape of women’s football around the world.

From playing in front of a few hundred fans at Staines, something she recalls fondly as she describes how it felt like the supporters were on the pitch with you, to playing at a sold-out Stamford Bridge, the defender has experienced it all.

Her first game in SW6 was against German giants Wolfsburg in the UEFA Champions League in 2016. Although the result didn’t go our way, with it finishing 3-0 to the visitors, it proved to be a valuable experience in more ways than one.

‘That’s the luxury of staying at one club for so long – you get to see the start, the finish line and what is going to continue even after you’re not playing anymore,’ Bright says.

‘You start at Staines and we grow again and again to where women’s football is now. We are playing the biggest matches on the biggest stages. It’s electric.

‘That game against Wolfsburg was a massive eye-opener into the Champions League and European football. It showed us where we were and what we needed to do to get to the next level.

‘That is what has been the greatest thing about being at this club – the evolution – getting to see where we were, to where we’re at and where we want to go.

‘I have played with the best players in the world representing Chelsea. I’ve had the privilege to play alongside them and have learned so much.

‘It felt like we used to get beat by Wolfsburg every year in the Champions League and look how far we’ve come. I want us to get to that end result, which is lifting the Champions League.

‘It would mean the world to me if I got to lift the Champions League with Chelsea.’

First game as club captain

Before being named captain permanently, Bright had worn the armband on occasions if predecessor Magdalena Eriksson was unavailable.

She was announced as the Swedish defender’s successor ahead of the 2023/24 season and her first competitive game leading the team was against Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge on the opening day of the campaign.

‘It felt different because you go into the changing room and the armband is in your place,’ Bright says. ‘You know you’re leading the team out not because someone else isn’t playing, but because it’s your role now.

‘I don’t know whether it has boosted me to another level, but it puts more responsibility on me which I happily take with open arms. I’d like to think everyone on the team thinks I’ve been the captain that they deserve.’

Bright aims to lead by example. She does so because that is what she learned from those who came before her, including Eriksson, Karen Carney and Katie Chapman.

‘Me and Mags were really similar,’ our skipper reflects. ‘We had a fantastic relationship on and off the pitch that allowed us to be a bit of a dream team.

‘I loved every minute of playing alongside her. We were driving the standards in training and had very similar ambitions. I learned a lot from her about what it means to be captain in different moments. Like, if you’re injured, you don’t just vanish from your responsibilities.

‘I had the blessing to work with Kaz and Katie Chapman who were two incredible leaders. Chaps taught me everything I know today – I genuinely feel like a mini version of her in so many ways!

‘You could rely on her. That’s something I always wanted to do because of her. I wanted to be like how she was as a player. She turned up every single day in training and in games and was there for the team.

‘Kaz was the same, but was a different kind of leader. She was more quiet. She was the brains and I was more of the voice.

‘I’ve always worked well alongside all of the captains and just tried to be a sponge around them. They were put in that position for a reason and I wanted to learn from them.’