Growing up, Bronze enjoyed holidays in Albufeira and the Algarve every year. The tradition continues to this day, with the defender spending last summer with her dad's side of the family.

Core memories were created in Portugal, some of which she recalls as we sit and chat in the team hotel. They include learning to surf on the country's beaches, the seafood, and late-night dining experiences which saw Bronze and her siblings fed in the car on the way to family meals to ensure they weren't waiting to eat until 10pm.

However, Bronze's Portuguese roots were not only felt while in the country. They have influenced her life in many different ways: from her name to her first football kit and the way she was brought up living in the north of England.

'We were originally brought up bilingual,' Bronze tells us. 'My dad was speaking Portuguese to us and my mum spoke to us in English. Although, we don't speak Portuguese very well anymore.

'My brother's name is Jorge and my name is Lucia, but I get called Lucy. Our names are Portuguese and we're very proud of that.

'My first football kit was a full Portugal kit! You probably don't realise it when you're younger, but as you grow up you realise how cool it is to have two cultures and how it makes you a little bit different and special.

'My life in Portugal and England was normal to me, but it has been amazing to share two different cultures. It allowed me to travel and be more exposed to different parts of the world. I've enjoyed travelling and embracing new cultures as I've gotten older because I was used to that as a kid.'

'My brother was born in Faro,' Bronze continues. 'My mum and dad met in the Algarve. He was working here at the time, but he was born in Lisbon. A lot of the photos we have at home are from our time in Portugal growing up.

'My dad actually did most of the cooking at home. I think we ate a lot more fish than the average English household! I remember my friends would come over and always talk about the food that he would cook.

'My mum always tells everybody stories of my dad always cutting up fresh fruit and making us Mediterranean salads. I would just sit in front of the TV eating salads all the time because we absolutely loved it from being in Portugal. Other kids would get a bowl of popcorn, but we loved the salad!'

Bronze's career has taken her to multiple countries. She played college football in the United States as a teenager, spent three years in France with Lyon and two seasons in Spain at Barcelona.

But it all started in Portugal. Of course, the warm weather helped, she says, but this is where the makings of a five-time UEFA Champions League winner and European champion were made.

'I played a lot more when I was young in Portugal because it was the easiest thing to go and do,' Bronze says. 'It was sunny outside so me and my brother would always go and kick a ball about. That's what he wanted to do and I used to follow him around everywhere.'

And had she not had an upbringing influenced by two different cultures, Bronze believes she would not have sought out the opportunities she has done, such as playing abroad for several years.

'Definitely,' Bronze replies when we ask if that informed her approach to new experiences. 'My family only moved back to England the week I was born so growing up I was always hearing about how my dad grew up in Portugal and my mum's time living there.

'My mum lived here, worked here and learned the language. She loves the Portuguese culture, the food and everything like that. My dad then comes to England from Portugal.

'Seeing them embrace each other's cultures was something that I really enjoyed. It was just something that seemed so normal to me, being in different countries and learning new things.

'My brother and sister feel the same. My brother really enjoyed being in France and my sister really enjoys Portuguese things. All three of us have taken to finding out more about cultures and I think that's because we grew up in a bilingual household.'