That is the emotional second Lucy Bronze consoled her shut buddy Ona Batlle after England got here from behind to beat Spain and retain their Girls’s Euros crown.
Bronze began each sport of the event however was pressured off in extra-time earlier than the Lionesses went on to win 3-1 in a nerve-shredding penalty shootout.
At 33 years, eight months and 30 days, Bronze was her aspect’s oldest participant on the event and she or he was once more entrance and centre of a record-setting triumph.
Chloe Kelly proved herself the hero for her nation once more by slotting dwelling the successful spot-kick after Mariona Caldentey and Aitana Bonmati noticed their efforts saved by goalkeeper Hannah Hampton, whereas Salma Paralluelo skewed astray.
Jubilant celebrations noticed Kelly’s team-mates flood onto the pitch to start the get together, however Bronze took a second to flee the hubbub and made a beeline for Batlle.
Inseparable on and off the pitch, the 2 buddies high-fived earlier than sitting down on the pitch, seemingly discussing the pulsating showdown that had performed out in Basel.
England hero Lucy Bronze consoled her shut buddy Ona Batlle after the Euro 2025 remaining
Bronze (left) and Batlle (proper) sat down on the pitch throughout the wild remaining whistle celebrations
The roles had been reversed after the World Cup remaining in 2023, when Batlle comforted Bronze
As soon as the insanity had died down, Bronze, kitted out together with her gold winner’s medal round her neck, took a stroll with Batlle, who had became her tracksuit.
The roles had been reversed again in 2023 after Spain bought the higher of England within the World Cup remaining, when Batlle consoled a tearful Bronze after full-time.
The duo had been all-conquering team-mates within the 2023-24 season once they had been at Barcelona, and so they struck up a blossoming friendship, too. In addition they received the Champions League, Liga F, the Spanish Cup and Spanish Tremendous Cup collectively.
Bronze then accomplished a transfer again to England with Chelsea final summer time.
Bronze, 33, and Batlle, 26, loved a vacation collectively forward of Euro 2025 in Switzerland, sharing pictures of the journey throughout their social media profiles.
It appeared the duo had been celebrating Batlle’s birthday, with the Spaniard’s caption on Instagram studying: ‘Bday week.’
One photograph shared on-line confirmed them having fun with an ice cream within the solar, whereas one other noticed them enjoyable on a lilo collectively within the sea. Bronze and Batlle additionally took a ship journey on their trip and hung out collectively in a non-public pool.
Their vacation this summer time was under no circumstances their first. Final Christmas, Batlle posted snaps of the 2 at Disneyland Paris, with the caption: ‘What a magical place’.
The duo loved a summer time vacation collectively simply weeks earlier than the event in Switzerland
It was under no circumstances their first journey collectively – with the pair visiting Disneyland final Christmas
The previous Barcelona team-mates shared pictures from Disneyland and on the Eiffel Tower (left)
Bronze, now of Chelsea, and Batlle performed collectively at Barcelona throughout the 2023-24 season
They had been pressured to set their friendship apart for the nerve-shredding remaining on Sunday evening
Bronze tends to maintain her private life very non-public. Hailing from Berwick-upon-Tweed in Northumberland, she was introduced up bilingual due to her Portuguese father and was uncovered to soccer from a really early age by her older brother, Jorge.
Extremely, she revealed she had performed all of Euro 2025 with a fractured tibia.
‘I’ve really performed the entire event with a fractured tibia however nobody knew,’ she stated after the sport. ‘Then I’ve simply harm my knee in the present day on the opposite leg.
‘I feel that is why I bought plenty of reward from the women after the Sweden sport as a result of I have been in plenty of ache, however that is what it takes to play for England.
‘That is what I am going to do. They know that, I feel we encourage one another by taking part in via issues like that, and so they bought us to the tip of them ultimately. It was very painful however I am gonna get together and gonna take pleasure in it, that is it.’
Head coach Sarina Wiegman paid tribute to Bronze, saying: ‘Her mentality, the entire staff has an unimaginable mentality, however she has a loopy mentality, it is unbelievable.’
