Former Manchester City defender Lucy Bronze is aiming to win the Champions League with new club Barcelona.
The Lioness was one of several key players to leave City in the summer after Sky Blues struggled through an injury-plagued season to complete a disappointing third in the Women’s Super League earlier this year.
After her contract at the Academy Stadium expired, Bronze opted to move to Barcelona Femení, where she was later joined by England and former City team-mate Keira Walsh, who arrived in Catalonia for a record amount of around £400,000.
The pair were two of eleven players who lined up to face Spain in the quarter-finals of the European Championships this summer, when Sarina Wiegman’s side came from behind to advance to the next round with a 2-1 win in overtime.
A tough contest against quality opponents, Spain’s victory was a highlight of the tournament that spoke of the courage that saw the Lionesses lift the trophy – and Bronze cited the strength of the Spanish national team for justify his decision to transfer to La Liga F.
“The club itself is huge and the squad is amazing, full of world-class players,” Bronze told the BBC.
“The Spanish team is amazing and this football starts with Barca.
“So I want to play with these players, I want to improve and I want to win trophies again.
“I feel like I’m getting better every day, learning more about myself as a player and as a person – all those clichés, but it’s true. to be 20 again and find my bearings.
Euro 2022 fever was evident in the opening fortnight of the Women’s Super League as a number of club attendance records were reached – as well as the biggest ever crowd for a match in the division, as more than 47,000 fans turned out to watch Arsenal take on Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Spanish football has long since surpassed that benchmark – in April a staggering 91,648 fans set a new world record for a women’s game when they turned out to watch Barca win a Champions League semi-final 5-1 against Wolfsburg.
“That was definitely a big factor – the fan base is crazy,” Bronze said.
“From the second I signed, even through the Euros, every England game – they have supported me as a player.”
Bronze, who won the Champions League three times with former club Olympique Lyon, is excited about the crowds and new team-mates – but there is one crucial target for the 2022/2023 campaign that has her particularly motivated.
“I just win trophies,” Bronze said.
“I think they’re obviously a team that dominates a lot in Spain anyway, but I think the Champions League is the most important.
“Winning all the trophies this year would be amazing.”
Last season, Barcelona won the Primera División, Copa de la Reina and Supercopa de España, while finishing second to former Bronze side Lyon in the Champions League.
Meanwhile, City lost their first two WSL matches, coming out on the wrong side of a 4-3 result against Aston Villa before suffering a 2-0 defeat at the hands of title contenders Chelsea.