England Lioness Lucy Bronze played the entire Euro 2025 tournament with a broken leg

England defender Lucy Bronze has revealed that she played the entirety of the Women’s Euro 2025 championship with a fractured tibia in her right leg.

Though the England Lionesses successfully defended the Women’s Euro title by winning the 2025 title against Spain in the final’s penalty shootout, it was a rocky journey getting there.

The squad, led by Leah Williamson, contained a host of queer footy stars – but Lucy Bronze, who does not discuss her personal life often, but is known to be LGBTQ, has made a serious case for MVP of the tournament, because she played the entire thing with a broken leg.

After the Lionesses won the final against Spain (27 July) (3-1 in penalties, 1-1 at full time), the defender told the BBC she played the whole tournament – which started 2 July in Switzerland – with a broken tibia (shinbone).

“I actually played the whole tournament with a fractured tibia, but no-one knew,” said Bronze.

She added: “I just hurt my knee today on the other leg. That is why I got a lot of praise from the girls after the Sweden game because I have been in a lot of pain.

“But if that’s what it takes to play for England, that’s what I’ll do – they know that. We inspire each other by playing through things like that and it got us to the end, in the end.”

Bronze played 105 minutes of the final England Vs. Spain match, only subbing out in tears towards the end of the match.

In the Sweden – England quarter finals, she scored England’s winning penalty.

England coach Sarina Wiegman told the BBC: “She had some issues with her tibia so of course we tried to manage that. When you play 120 minutes you’re not managing it are you?

“The whole team has a great mentality but she has a crazy mentality, it’s unbelievable.”

Bronze’s former England team-mate Ellen White told BBC Sport: “I mean this in the nicest way but she is not human. I love her and adore her, but she is proper England.

“To say she has just won a major tournament on a fractured tibia, that is not normal. That pain must have been insane and she smashed that ball in for the Sweden game.

“Fair play to the girls for crediting her. That is true of Lucy Bronze, she will give everything to play for England and win for England as well.”

Though Bronze may not have spoken about her personal life extensively, when Iker Casillas and Carles Puyol joked about being gay on Twitter, she stated that their comments show football still needs better education on sexuality.  

Bronze said at the time: “‘But I think the reaction that has been had on social media in general, from not knowing what it was to thinking it was a joke to being hacked…the reaction just shows that there still needs a lot of education, openness on these kind of subjects because that kind of reaction wasn’t normal.”

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