Lucy Bronze is a Barcelona and England star and is one of the most feared defenders in the game! How much do you know about this Lioness icon? Here's some facts to casually mention before any kick off!

And when you've checked out these Lucy Bronze facts, why not test your trivia with this Lucy Bronze quiz?

1. She was born in Berwick!

Lucy was born in Berwick-upon-Tweed in England, which is less than three miles south of the Scottish border. Imagine if Lucy wasn't a Lioness because of a few miles. Phew!

2. Her gran was the caretaker of a castle in Northumberland!

Lucy is no stranger to Holy Island, just off the Northumberland coast. Her grandmother was a caretaker after Lindisfarne Castle, which was built as a defensive fort in the 16th century to protect the island from potential Scottish invasions!

3. She played in the USA when she was a teenager!

When she was a teenager, Lucy moved to the States where she played football in college for the North Carolina Tar Heels. She was just 18!

4. She's the same height as 171 Beanos!

Standing in just her football socks – or any kind of socks, really – Lucy is 171cm or 5'7 tall. That's 171 Beanos in a stack! But she's much faster and better at defending than your favourite comic.

5. She's an MBE!

In the spring of 2023, Lucy was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire for her services to football in the New Year Honours list. Well done, Bronzy!

6. She's played at Manchester City at two different times!

Lucy has played for Sunderland, Liverpool and Everton, but in 2014, she signed for Manchester City WFC. She stayed there for three years, making 34 appearances and scoring 5 goals. After signing for Lyon, she rejoined the team in 2020 on a two-year contract.

7. She's also played in France!

After scooping up all sorts of trophies in England, Lucy joined Olympique Lyonnais in 2017. Over the course of three seasons, she was instrumental in helping the French club win the Champions League and Ligue 1!

8. She's won many awards!

Are you ready to read what else Lucy has won during her career? Have a seat! She's been awarded England Player of the Year (2015, 2019), Silver Ball Winner (2019), UEFA Women’s Player of the Year (2018-19), Globe Soccer Awards Best Women’s Player of the Year (2019), BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year (2018 & 2020), FIFA Best Women’s Player (2020) and UEFA Women’s EURO Winner – England (2022). There'll be more to add in the coming years, for sure.

9. She's played for England in every major competition!

Lucy has represented her country for around a decade now, and in that time, she's played in the World Cup, the Euros, the UEFA Women's Nations League and the Women's Finalissima. Plus, she's played for Team GB in the Olympics, too!

10. She can converse in four languages

In addition to English, she can speak some Portuguese (her dad is from Portugal), French and is now learning Spanish to help her with her new adventures in Barcelona.

11. She's scared of needles

In several interviews, the England star has admitted that she has a phobia of needles. An intense fear of needles is called trypanophobia, but it can't be that bad because she has several tattoos (including 'familia' and Lindisfarne Castle).

12. She loves a bit of cake!

In an interview, Lucy says she can't resist a slice of cake as a treat. "When I came back from the World Cup, I was so tired and hungry so I just thought I’d go to the shops and buy myself a cake for dessert," she told Living North. "I always think it doesn’t matter because I play football and have to run around all day."

13. BARCELONA

In 2022, Lucy made the decision to leave Manchester City WFC and join Barcelona – she's already a key player and is a firm favourite among the Azulgranas! In 2023, she added a Champions League medal to her collection.

14. She loves dogs

Lucy loves dogs and has a West Highland White Terrier called Narla. This isn't her dog in the photo, but we're sure they're just as good at football.

15. She's ranked at 45 in the world on FC 24!

In EA Sports annual rankings, Lucy played 45 in the world with some spectacular stats – to put it in perspective, she's ranked higher than Barcelona's Frankie de Jong (46) and Spurs' Heung Min Son (56). Nice work!