Millie Bright makes Lionesses ‘legacy’ claim after England reach Euros final

Millie Bright has been watching from afar as Sarina Wiegman’s England squad have put themselves on the cusp of history by reaching the final of the European Championships

Euro 2022 winner Millie Bright believes another victory for the Lionesses would even further change perceptions of women’s sport in England. Bright has been watching from a distance after ruling herself out of contention for Sarina Wiegman’s squad shortly before the tournament.

In Bright’s absence, Jess Carter, Alex Greenwood and Esme Morgan have all been given minutes at centre-back alongside captain Leah Williamson. There have been rocky moments, with Sarina Wiegman’s team only leading for a couple of minutes in the knockout stages, but they came through matches against Sweden and Italy to leave themselves on the verge of history.

“To win two Euros back-to-back would add to the legacy and give the next generation in the squad confidence, but I think it would also change the country’s perception on women’s sport yet again,” Bright said. “It could promote women’s sport again, even more so than it did before.

“It would open up new doors, new opportunities, and again provide the opportunity for us to demand more in the women’s game and like I said, not only in women’s football but in women’s sport generally.”

England have already laid down a marker by reaching a third straight major tournament final after winning Euro 2022 and coming up short in the 2023 World Cup. And they knew before the second semi-final kicked off that they would face a rematch – either against 2022 opponents Germany or 2023 rivals Spain.

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Bright’s England and Chelsea team-mate Lucy Bronze revealed the centre-back was one of those to message her after England kicked off the tournament with a defeat to France. The Lionesses have rebounded in style since then, though things haven’t been straightforward.

“I’d love us to stop going to extra time!” Bright added. “It gives me too much stress and anxiety, but I’m so proud of the girls.

“There was a lot of chat about having an inexperienced group and having more youngsters than senior players, but the kids have really come through. I think we’ve been the best team at the tournament in terms of everyone playing their role and the subs coming in and making a difference.”

Bright was speaking at thhe launch of TikTok’s #summerskills campaign, which is designed to teach teens new skills during their summer holidays. She has been on hand for the football aspect of the campaign, but youngsters are also getting support with science, literature and music.

“That’s the beauty of the summer skills, it’s not just about sport,” she said.”It’s what you can take away from that into your life and what the kids can develop in whatever their passion is and what their dreams are.”

Millie was talking at the launch of the new TikTok campaign #SummerSkills, a new in-app programme designed to support parents and empower teens to learn new skills with famous faces during the summer break.

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