Lucy Bronze: Having autism works to my advantage in football, says England and Chelsea player

Although Bronze was only diagnosed as autistic in 2021, the news did not come as a huge surprise to her.

“It was something I always knew about in a way,” she says. “My mum had spoken about it from a very young age and noticed things in me.”

At school her condition manifested itself in her struggle to read and spell, and she was diagnosed with dyslexia.

Since childhood Bronze has struggled to sleep, something a sleep expert suggested could be remedied by writing in a journal before bed.

“I’d end up writing a book then,” Bronze says with a smile. “My brain is like 100mph, even when laying in bed.”

Bronze struggles to make eye contact with people during conversation, while her habit of touching her hair during games has been noticed by team-mates and fans alike.

“People think ‘she’s always messing about’, but that’s just me calming myself down without even realising it,” reflects Bronze.

It was during a Lionesses training camp that Bronze learned she had ADHD and autism.

“It didn’t change anything essentially, but it was a bit of an eye opener,” Bronze says.

“I just learned more about myself, understood why in certain situations I saw things differently to other people or acted in a different way to other people.

“Getting to sit down and actually speak through my traits and how it affects me, situations that make me feel good or bad, that was the thing that really clicked in my head and made me feel so much better.”