It was at the World Cup in 2023 that things came to a head. Lucy Bronze, the most covered player in England at the tournament, had to deal with contact lenses throughout her career. When her lenses dried up in Australia, enough was enough.
“I ordered a little more, but they were the wrong one because they were another brand. Of course we were in Australia, so it was hard to get the same things as in England and there was one game where my eyes were so itching and watery.
“At the end of the tournament I just thought, I really don't need this. But I was afraid of laserogue operations and the risks of something that goes wrong. This procedure is reversible, which gave me peace of mind and felt less risky for me.
“It sounds crazy, but it has made such a big difference.”
During the winter break, Brons had implanted a collamer (Collagen Co-Polymer) lens between its iris and natural crystalline lens. No cornea tissue has been removed, it is biocompatible with the eye. She was in and out within an hour. “I left the building and I could see it.”
It seems extraordinary that a career was as spectacular as hers destroyed by this issue, but listen to her talk about her experiences – luckily in the past tense – and it is remarkable that she ended it for so long. Even certain light was uncomfortable.
“Reflections, things like that. There was an example years ago when I played for Liverpool in Bristol that became a bit of a folk tale. After I had had my operation, Gemma Bonner, at the time, was the captain, as” no contact lenses that fell into games “.
“I lost a lens in a header when a girl accidentally stuck my eye. I was up and down the touchline, grabbed the physios:” The reserve is in my laundry bag, under the couch, in the front pocket. “They finally got it for 10 minutes with one eye for 10 minutes.”
It came to dominate her thoughts. “I would be more destroyed if I forgot my contact lenses than my football boots,” says Bronze. “It was so important. I could do it with another pair of boots, but if you can't see well, it's much more stressful.”
Proponents may not have noticed the change. Bronze was rather an elite player. But the transformation has been important from her perspective. “What a difference makes it on the field to see things faster when you look around,” she says.
“It was a bit surreal, all these movements that I have done all my life, how many clearer things were. My vision is actually even better than what it was earlier. It is a pity that I did not do it before. I should have done it in my twenties.”
The reputation of Bronze in those younger days was built on her physicality, those powerful runs of right back that became her trademark, the balloon d'Or second for Megan Rapinoe in 2019. “I trusted on my physical attributes. It is still my strength,” she says.
“It is currently a kind of football shift. Everyone considered physical attributes as the key to everything. But actually it's your brain, your vision, how you see the game quickly, see every corner, which is more important than physical output.
“There are players who can play longer. Thiago Silva is a good example. He is so smart, he has the photos in his head. He may have lost a garden of pace, but he can still read the game because he clearly sees everything, scan, control, organize.
“I always appreciated that side of the game, but I never thought I could make anything that I was really good at until the end of my career. I realized that I had to work on it because you lose your physical attributes rather than your brain.”
The result is that Bronze's game has evolved. It was a process that started in Manchester City. “They wanted me to come in more than a holder midfielder and help with the structure.” It improved those scan skills. “You have no choice in midfield,” she says.
“With full-back you can choose and choose a little. In midfield you are involved. You have to know. The best midfielders in the world are not necessarily the fastest, largest or even the best technical. They are those who can anticipate and see the game better.”
In Barcelona there was more variation. “I sometimes played three in the back and then 20 minutes later I played as a right winger. I used to be a linear player, up and down, run and run. As I got older, I wanted to be less predictable.”
Now 33, bronze speaks about her ability to “read the game” and includes one of her responsibilities “that try to get the best out of others” – all part of her evolution as a player. Is the purpose of all this to extend the career? “I mean, I think it's already.”
What is clear is that the hunger remains and bronze is willing to do everything she can do to stay at the top. “I urge myself to improve in as many ways as possible. Where I am with my game, I think recovery is now the biggest thing,” she explains.
Bronze describes itself as “overly obsessed with” with ice cream baths and installs them wherever she lives. “I was always quite obsessed with recovery and sports science. Last year or two I probably took it even more seriously than ever before,” she adds.
“As I get older, I just don't want one of these young players to catch up with me. Look at Cristiano Ronaldo and how he took care of his body to keep his level. I know I have to recover to make sure I am ready to go again the next day.
'Maybe I was overtrained when I was younger. You could never stop me. That is the only reason why I suffered injuries in the past. I am eventually gone longer than I should have because I would not stop and not listen to my body that told me to delay.
“For me now it's not afraid to take a step back. People think you're weak there. That's always the perception. If you don't do enough or do not always play, you can't handle it. But it is so that you can handle it longer.
“When I recently sustained an injury, I managed to stop myself. Fortunately, the injury turned out to be only seven days, while if I had pushed myself, it could have been seven weeks. That is probably the biggest change and it all comes with experience.”
Whether it concerns recovery techniques, tactical adjustments or implantable lenses, Lucy Bronze is still looking for that lead.
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