The 43-year-old has enjoyed huge success as a player and a coach in her native France and also further afield.

She arrives in west London fresh from managing Lyon to multiple honours during a trophy-laden three-year spell. And Bompastor already has her place in the history books assured as the first person to win the UEFA Women’s Champions League as a player and a manager.

And before she begins her new chapter with the Blues on July 1, we take a look back at six defining moments from her career to date that put her on the path to Chelsea.

International bow

After representing France at youth level, a senior bow for Les Bleues arrived for Bompastor as a 19-year-old against Scotland back in 2000. It proved the start of what would become a legendary international career.

A year after making her debut, Bompastor represented her country on the international stage as part of the France squad that competed at Euro 2001 in Germany. It was the first of five major tournaments she would play in during her career.

Bompastor would go on to be a mainstay of the national team for more than a decade, winning a staggering 156 caps in the process.

First major trophy

Silverware has been a constant in Bompastor’s career, both as a player and a manager – and the first major honour of her playing days arrived after joining Montpellier.

After a spell at La Roche-sur-Yon, her move to La Paillade in 2002 was a watershed moment. Two years later Montpellier – and Bompastor - were French champions for the first time after winning the Division 1 Feminine end-of-season play-off.

Often featuring as a midfielder at this stage in her career, Bompastor weighed in with her share of goals, scoring on seven occasions. Twelve months later the trick was repeated as Montpellier were again champions after remaining unbeaten in the league.

Arriving at Lyon

Bompastor took one of the most important decisions of her career in the summer of 2006, leaving Montpellier to join Lyon.

Her long-time teammate – and eventual assistant coach – Camille Abily made the move at the same time, and the pair helped shift the power in the French women’s game.

At the time of her switch, Les Fenottes had never won a major trophy. Within 12 months, they were league champions losing just once along the way.

Bompastor’s maiden season in 2006/07 marked the start of an on-and-off 18-year association with Lyon that would bring unprecedented levels of success in women's club football.

Transatlantic switch

When the USA-based Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) league launched in 2009, the best players in the game flocked stateside.

Bompastor was no exception. After winning back-to-back league titles at Lyon, the French international was a marquee draft signing for Washington Freedom.

Teammates would include the legendary forward Abby Wambach and Cat Whitehill, while Bompastor’s game developed further from regularly competing against the likes of Marta, Christine Sinclair and Kelly Smith.

The future Blues manager would not be overwhelmed by the concentration of talent. She finished her first season in America as the league’s leading assist maker, having also scored four goals for Freedom.

First time in the dugout

After her glittering playing career came to an end in 2013, Bompastor remained at Lyon and took a coaching position at the club’s academy where she helped bring through the next generation of talent.

In the years that followed Lyon would become Europe’s dominant force, winning five UEFA Women’s Champions League titles on the spin from 2016. A remarkable achievement.

But in April 2021, with the club looking for a new coach after parting company with Jean-Luc Vasseur, Bompastor took the reigns. On paper, improving in a team that had won it all would not be a straightforward task.

However, in her first game in charge, Lyon thrashed Le Harve 5-1. A certain Catarina Macario was on the scoresheet with Kadeisha Buchanan on the bench for Bompastor’s first win as a manager.

European Champions...again

Before Bompastor took charge of the first team, Lyon had suffered a Champions League quarter-final exit to fierce rivals PSG. It meant during her first full season, 2021/22, Europe would become vital to Bompastor’s managerial credentials.

Their run in continental competition that year wasn’t without its challenges. Lyon were beaten by Bayern Munich in the group stage and needed a second-leg comeback to overturn an aggregate deficit against Juventus.

For Bompastor her defining moment as a manager to date would come on her next visit to Turin – for the final against holders Barcelona two months later.

Having built the most potent attacking force in women’s football, Lyon dismantled the Catalans’ defence in just over half an hour to go 3-0 up.

Amandine Henry, Ada Hegerberg and Macario were all on target as the French champions raced out of sight to leave Barcelona shell-shocked. Alexia Putellas pulled a goal back but Lyon were once again European champions.

Having lifted the trophy twice as a player, Bompastor had once again climbed the summit of the women’s game, this time as the manager.