England captain Millie Bright keen to emulate John Terry’s ‘fearless’ leadership

England captain Millie Bright is proud to be carrying on the legacy of “fearless” ex-England skipper John Terry as she leads the European champions in the World Cup.  

Bright vice-captained Sarina Wiegman’s side last summer and for this tournament inherited the armband from Leah Williamson, who was ruled out after sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in April.

The Blues defender herself underwent a “brutal” rehabilitation process from a March knee injury to ensure she would be fit to fight for England’s first global title in co-hosting Australia, where they are next set to face Nigeria in the last 16.

She said: “JT was a big one for me. I think the way he carried himself and he always stepped out on the pitch fearless and stepped up.

“Every team that he’s played in I think he’s done that and he’s led by example, his actions have spoken louder than his words. For me that’s definitely something I believe in as well.

“Off the pitch I think he’s a great human, he’s very caring. I know a lot from a personal level that he’s always given a lot to the women’s team. On the pitch, without a shadow of a doubt.”

Bright could soon follow in another of Terry’s footsteps, with the Blues captaincy now vacant following the departure of Magda Eriksson, who completed a move to Bayern Munich at the conclusion of the last Women’s Super League (WSL) campaign after just shy of six years with Chelsea.

The 29-year-old will likely bump into Terry more often next season after the 42-year-old five-time Premier League champion last month announced he would be returning to Chelsea for a role in the club’s academy.

Chelsea women’s boss Emma Hayes is such a Stamford Bridge stalwart that she has now seen 12 different men’s managers pass through the doors – Frank Lampard twice – during her tenure, and was in her post for nearly five years of  Terry’s playing career in west London.

The 2021 FIFA women’s coach of the year and six-time WSL Manager of the Season is “a great mentor” to Bright, helping her deal with “the hard moments of the game and what are your traits. Then it’s just habits, training yourself. I always have three aims, no matter what I stick to them.

“I think it comes with age and experience over the years, finding out how you are as a person on and off the pitch”.

Hayes, said Bright, has also reinforced the habit of thinking that “when the going gets tough (you) keep the belief, keep the calmness, and always find a way to win.”

England’s knockout stage path to a first World Cup final begins tomorrow against Nigeria, 36 places below them in FIFA’s global rankings but bolstered after ousting a top-10 side in Olympic champions Canada to reach the last 16.

The narrow margin of the Lionesses’ 1-0 victories over Haiti and Denmark to open this campaign drew criticism from some corners, while their 6-1 victory over China to conclude the group stage went some way in subduing sceptics.

Bright insists she has not been privy to criticism inside the England “bubble”, where she has deliberately avoided social media, but sends “level-headed” partner Levi Crew a list of her three personal aims before each match.

She said: “Nothing gets in and nothing gets out. It’s football, everyone’s going to have an opinion, but the only ones that are going to matter are the ones that are within our team, our squad, staff, and players.”

When it comes to the sometimes difficult conversations that do matter, Bright revealed that her armband hardly comes into play, with Wiegman instilling an open approach devoid of hierarchy.

Bright added: “Everyone is equal within our team, I think sometimes it’s seen as the captain has to say the orders, it’s not like that at all.

“I think it’s taken us a while to get to that place over the years. I think that’s something Sarina’s brought in, we need those conversations.

“It’s how you get better and how you develop. It’s all part of growth, it’s not to attack anyone or ‘you’re crap,’ whatever, it’s about how we get the best out of each other and be the best in the world.”