Bright’s grasp on an England starring role began when she played in five of their six matches at the 2019 World Cup en route to the semi-finals.
She was sent off after receiving a second yellow card in the semi-final defeat by the United States – a game which hinted at future success for England, albeit one that ended on a sour note for Bright personally.
As a mainstay under former manager Phil Neville, Bright was among those who had started to steer England towards a major tournament final, but had just come up short, as interest in the women’s game was slowly increasing.
They were a long way off selling out crowds at Wembley Stadium and were still battling for basic resources at club level but had formed one of the teams who were starting to ask questions of the all-conquering United States.
However, it was in 2022 when Bright cemented her place in Lionesses history and had her biggest year for her country.
Alongside captain Williamson, they formed an impenetrable partnership at the Euros, leading from the back and guiding a youthful, yet talented England team to success.
She was undoubtedly one of the stars despite not dominating the headlines in the way Chloe Kelly, Beth Mead or Mary Earps did.
A towering presence, who usually came out on top in a one-on-one duel, Bright was often Wiegman’s go-to person off the pitch, and she even did a job up front on occasions when it was needed on it – most notably finishing joint-top scorer at the inaugural Arnold Clark Cup in 2022, sharing the Golden Boot award with then-Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas.
As the vice-captain, she was vocal in the dressing room, an important part of Wiegman’s leadership group and someone young players often turned to for advice.
She was seen as one of the jokers of the group, usually found stood near best friend Rachel Daly or midway through a TikTok dance with Mary Earps.
In the aftermath of England’s Euro 2022 victory, she became a familiar name among casual viewers and carried the weight of responsibility going into the 2023 World Cup in Williamson’s absence, knowing external expectation had grown tenfold.
Off the pitch she became a fierce advocate for mental health support and was among those who played a key part in the Lionesses’ call for equal access for girls football in schools following their Euro 2022 success.
