Cuthbert was a year-and-a-half into a university degree when she was offered the chance to come and play for the Blues, at a time when women’s football was nowhere near as high-profile as it is today.

The heartbreak of leaving her family behind fueled her determination to make that sacrifice worthwhile. Trophies, international caps and many plaudits have followed since Cuthbert made that life-changing decision, and her single-mindedness and commitment to the Blues ensured she was the ideal choice to be given the armband permanently.

To fully understand what being the club captain might mean to Cuthbert, we must head back to the beginning of her story with Chelsea.

‘The move came about when I was offered to come down to trial,’ our new skipper explains.

‘We played against Chelsea in the Champions League with Glasgow City. I'd always dreamed of playing professionally, and I thought I'd blown it because the manager took me off. Then, a few weeks later, I was asked to come down and trial for three or four days.

‘I embraced the challenge. I obviously told my mum and dad, and they were absolutely buzzing about it, but I think they were a bit scared, too. I had my life sorted, so I was giving up a lot. And when you're 18, moving to the Big Smoke, as we call it, is a big move.

‘I had the trial, and I scored a really good goal. We played a boys' team in a game, and no one was passing me the ball. It was about earning respect, and once I made a few good moves and some good actions with the ball, they were more inclined to pass to me.’

Cuthbert tells the story of how she had an email offer from Chelsea by the time she had reached Heathrow airport to catch her return flight to Scotland.

But there was a caveat. In a transfer window in which the Blues had signed some big names – Crystal Dunn, Ramona Bachmann and Maren Mjelde – head coach Emma Hayes made it clear that the youngster would be with the first team for training only, and any game time would be with the reserves.

As it turned out, Cuthbert never played with the reserves. She did what she does best: knuckled down and earned the trust of the manager and her team-mates. It wasn’t all plain sailing for her, though; in fact, it was far from it.

‘I cried. I cried a lot,’ she recalls with a tear in her eye. ‘I remember going to a Jess Glynne concert with my sister. They played that song – Take Me Home. Actually, it still makes me a little bit emotional now. It made me bawl my eyes out, because I love it in Scotland. I loved living with my family. I loved the life I had.

‘When you give it all up to chase your dreams, it's tough. I knew that if anything ever went wrong, my mum and dad were always waiting for me with open arms. I also knew that leaving had a profound effect on both of them. And that's also hard as a young girl, knowing that, yes, that's where they want you to go, but it absolutely broke their hearts as well.

‘That hurt me and made me more driven to be like, "Let's make this worthwhile. I'm going to do the best I can to achieve something."'

After moving to London, Cuthbert shared a house with team-mates Beth England, Hannah Blundell and Ji So-yun. She recalls the ‘havoc’ they caused and the fun times they shared. And she credits Fran Kirby with teaching her to cook, something Cuthbert – and her parents – thank the former Blues forward for to this day.

Her gratitude also extends to the Chelsea fans, who she says also played a huge role in helping her feel settled after her big move from Scotland.

‘The fans made a song for me pretty early,’ she recounts. ‘I remember making my debut at Wheatsheaf Park - it feels so long ago. I wasn’t anywhere near the level of the other superstars we had in the team. I was just Erin, and they welcomed me with open arms.

‘When people want you to do well, they're cheering you on, and they've got your back, you're more likely to relax and settle. I didn't have my mum and dad at the games. You instinctively look for your family in the crowd, and it's sad when they’re not there. When you have the fans cheering your name, it distracts you a little bit and takes you away from that sad feeling.

'I almost felt like my mum and dad were there because I was always getting my name cheered. Chelsea has always been a family to me. It has always been my home away from home. There are certain places where you feel you belong. Chelsea is that for me.’

Now, ten years on, ‘just Erin’ is the Chelsea captain. She gives us some insight into how she found out she had been given the armband permanently.

'Sonia took me to her office,' Cuthbert says. 'She said I was going to be the captain of the club. She asked me if I accepted, so I said, “Of course I accept it!”

‘We knew there was a process where we all, as players, had an input on who we felt was good to lead in different areas and in different ways. So the players had an input, and I believe the coaches were involved as well.

‘It’s nice that the process was thorough, and to come out of that as captain is obviously a nice compliment to be rated and valued by your own team-mates. It didn’t feel real, to be honest. I definitely was surprised by it.'

Erin’s family are always supporting her, whether that’s from afar in Scotland or in person when they can come to the games. Our new captain explained in her typically expressive style how they received the news.

‘My mum has not stopped calling me captain on the phone,’ she laughs. ‘When I call her, the first thing she says when she answers the phone is not hello, it’s “Hello, captain!” So she’s taking the mickey a little bit, but I like that. And my dad’s just very much the same in terms of his emotion. He’s just like, “That’s great,” in a very monotone way, but I know he’s very proud of me, and that’s his way of expressing it.’

It feels like there is fresh energy at Chelsea. New players, new staff, and a new place to call home at Stamford Bridge. And for those who have never been to see us play, our new captain offers a passionate response as to why they should give it a try.

‘If you’ve never been to one of our games before, I guarantee that when you do come, you’ll come again,’ Cuthbert says. ‘I know what it feels like to sit on the terraces and cheer for your team: it’s addictive, you get hooked, you get drawn to the camaraderie and the fandom.

‘There’s no better feeling than celebrating a goal scored by your team – even with a stranger! That’s just the power of football. Even if you come alone, you’re never truly alone in our stadium.’

There’s no one better to tell new fans what it’s like at Chelsea than our new skipper Erin Cuthbert. She’s been with us since almost the beginning, and now she’s here to lead us into a bold new era.