London (AFP)

The Briton Lucy Bronze, who became the first Englishwoman on Thursday but also the first defender to be voted best player by Fifa, has become a figure of her sport by revolutionizing the side-back position until stacking the trophies with Lyon and Manchester City .

It is very rare that these kinds of accolades escape midfielders or strikers, but as former England women's coach Phil Neville said, "There are no two players like" Lucy Bronze.

“People overlook you as a right-back. The superstar is always the attacker or the playmaker. Seeing that, I always thought: + This is great but I can have a huge influence on the game +" , she had explained in September to the site Soccerbible.

"With all my coaches, I had to demonstrate what I was worth and my versatility (...) It's so easy to see defenders only as a piece of the puzzle when they can be the centerpiece that leads to success, ”she added.

It must be said that to describe Lucy Bronze only as a defender would almost be an insult to her, as she embodies to perfection, at the age of 29, the "overtaking" which has become so crucial in modern football.

Her exceptional athletic abilities, technique and tactical sense make her a player capable of integrating into her team's attacks without losing any of her defensive security.

In 2019, the England international became the first defender to be voted UEFA best player and she finished third for the Fifa "The Best" trophies, as the English had finished third at the Women's World Cup that year.

- "Super star" -

But in 2020, Bronze forgot the meaning of the word defeat.

For her third and final season with Lyon, she left nothing to the competition, winning the Championship, Coupe de France and Champions League.

Then returned to Manchester City, she greatly contributed to the FA Cup victory against Everton (3-1, after extra time).

A homecoming for the native of Berwick-upon-Tweed, in the north-east of England, brooded by a big brother and a family who have always supported her sporting vocation.

To progress, Bronze never hesitated to go into exile, spending several months in the United States, a benchmark country for women's football, at the prestigious University of North Carolina in 2009.

She made her classes in the British Championship at Sunderland, then Everton (2010-2012 and Liverpool (2012-2014) where she won her first two league titles (2013, 2014).

She then wore the City jersey for three years, during which a double in 2016 and an FA Cup in 2017 were added to her list.

But football in England then still lagging behind other countries, Germany or France, it was OL that it chose to take another step forward.

"When I left Man City, I had secured my place in the team and I was known everywhere but I was not what we call a superstar. I think it was in Lyon that I 've managed to take my game to another level, ”she told Soccerbible.

It only needs one major title with the national team (81 caps, 8 goals) and the Tokyo Olympics next summer or the Euro-2022 which will take place in England will undoubtedly be its next major objectives.

© 2020 AFP