- Millie Bright has been appointed Chelsea’s new captain ahead of the WSL season
- The 30-year-old defender captained England to the World Cup finals in August
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Chelsea Women have named Lyonnais star Millie Bright as captain ahead of the new WSL season.
Bright, who has been at Chelsea since 2014, has made 245 appearances for the London club and won 15 major trophies.
The 30-year-old takes over the captaincy after Magdalena Eriksson completed a move to Bayern Munich at the end of last season.
The 75-cap England international has previously filled in as captain for Emma Hayes’ side, but will now lead Chelsea on a permanent basis from Sunday’s WSL season opener against Tottenham.
Following the announcement, Bright said Club’s website: 'It is a great honor to have the title of club captain. Chelsea is my home. It always has been and always will be, so I’m happy to have that title, but nothing has changed. I am truly in a privileged position.
’I’m excited and happy that Emma has given me confidence and brought me to this point. It’s been an absolute honor to captain Chelsea and I’m looking forward to the season ahead.
’I am always myself no matter what. My character will not change, I will not change, I will always be proud whether I have gloves or not, I will always lead by example.
Chelsea chairman Hayes said Pride was a player 'you can always count on’ when explaining his decision to name his captain in last season’s double winners.
He said: 'I would like to congratulate Millie on becoming our new captain. I’ve seen her grow as a player and as a person in the nine years we’ve worked together, and she’s ready for this.
’The biggest compliment I can pay her is that you can always count on her. No matter how big the challenge, she can handle the pressure and expectation in any situation.
’Even without the armor, she has been a leader all these years. I’m not just talking about the example she sets, but she’s the voice, she organizes people on the pitch, she drives the team, whether we’re pushing for goals or watching the game unfold.
’I can’t tell you how important it is for a manager to have someone like that on the pitch.’
Bright has more recent captaincy experience after leading Sarina Weigman’s England to the finals of this year’s World Cup after Leah Williamson was ruled out through injury.
The former Doncaster Belles defender missed the closing stages of last season with a knee problem and Chelsea will be looking to make up for lost time as they go in search of more silverware.
The Champions League has been an illusory prize for Hayes and his side. Pride, who lost 4-0 to Barcelona in the 2021 final, will be looking to take inspiration from former Blues captains to lead the club to further glory.
She said: 'I’ve taken a lot of girls out over the years I’ve been here. I’ve also had the honor of being a companion to some great legends and amazing people from whom I’ve learned a lot.
’I learned a lot from Cass [Karen Carney]Katie [Chapman]mags [Eriksson] And other leaders we had on the team. Now, holding the title is a huge honor and calling yourself club captain is huge.
’I will always be a leader in the team because who I am and what I demand from the team will never change. That’s the culture at Chelsea, everyone has a leader and responsibility.
Maintaining the domestic dominance that has characterized Pride’s time at the club will be paramount.
Under Hayes’ guidance, the Blues have won seven of the last nine league titles and five FA Cups and two League Cups.
Chelsea and their new captain will be hoping to get the new campaign off to a winning start against a new-look Spurs outfit at Stamford Bridge.
„Całkowity introwertyk. Nieprzejednany specjalista od sieci. Przyjazny fanatyk bekonu. Student ekstremalnych. Miłośnik piwa. Organizator.”