In the aftermath of Spain’s 1-0 triumph over the Lionesses in the 2023 Women’s World Cup final, Lucy Bronze found a spot on the England bench to grieve, devastated and heartbroken.
As tearful Bronze sat in anguish with her head in her hands, one of Spain’s victorious stars took time out of her celebrations to console her, kneeling beside her to offer comfort in a moment of true sportsmanship.
For Spanish full-back Ona Batlle, Bronze was set to be one of her new team-mates at Barcelona, where the Lionesses veteran was plying her trade. She had just signed for the Catalan giants a mere months before the final, joining from Manchester United.
The moment of empathy and compassion suggested that perhaps they were already friends off the pitch – with Bronze having played at Manchester City while Batlle was on the books at United.
After a stunning 2023-24 season in Barcelona, which saw them win the domestic league, two Spanish cups and the Champions League, the pair became inseparable off the pitch – and their friendship has only blossomed further since Bronze’s move back to the Women’s Super League with Chelsea last summer.
As the two right-backs head towards yet another major tournament final this weekend – with England again facing Spain in the showpiece conclusion of the 2025 Women’s Euros – they will be facing off as fierce rivals, despite being the closest of friends.
Bronze, 33, and Batlle, 26, enjoyed a holiday together ahead of the tournament in Switzerland, sharing photos of the trip across their social media profiles.
It appeared the duo were celebrating Batlle’s birthday, with the Spaniard’s caption on Instagram reading: ‘Bday week.’
One photo shared online showed the pair enjoying an ice cream in the sun, while another saw them relaxing on a lilo together in the sea.
Bronze and Batlle also took a boat trip on their vacation and spent time together in a private pool.
Their holiday this summer was by no means their first. Last Christmas, six months after Bronze’s move to Chelsea, the Spaniard posted snaps of the two at Disneyland Paris, with the caption: ‘What a magical place’.
The pair will now be forced to put their close friendship on hold this Sunday, after Batlle’s Spain triumphed 1-0 over Germany in extra time of Wednesday’s semi-final.
Bronze, like Batlle, played the full 120 minutes of England’s 2-1 extra-time win over Italy which got them to Sunday’s showpiece, having scored a crucial penalty in the shoot-out against Sweden during the quarter-final stage.
Both right-backs are integral components of their respective teams, each a fierce competitor with a wealth of international experience.
Bronze made her 35th major tournament appearance for the Lionesses during the dramatic comeback victory over Italy, putting her level with England legend Jill Scott ahead of the final.
Her leadership has been on full display during the latter stages of the tournament, particularly in relation to her support of team-mate Jess Carter, who ahead of the semi-final announced her decision to step away from social media after receiving a wave of racist abuse.
‘I think no player needs social media,’ she said earlier this week. ‘I think that’s one thing that we can always remember, is that we play football because we love the sport.
‘We love playing, we do love connecting with our fans. Social media is a great way to do that, but we don’t need it.
‘I think that’s something that the platforms should be very aware of, is that no one needs social media. If you want to carry on in sport, especially, we can thrive without it, but it is sad that players are missing out on so many of these great messages.’
Despite posting several photographs on Instagram of her life away from the pitch, Bronze tends to keep her personal life very private.
Hailing from Berwick-upon-Tweed in Northumberland, she was brought up bilingual thanks to her Portuguese father and was exposed to football from a very early age by her older brother Jorge.
Jorge, who has flown out to Zurich to watch the final, admitted that the tournament has not been an easy watch so far, given how frequently the Lionesses have fought back from losing positions.
‘Tournament football as a family member is not about enjoying yourself, it’s always traumatic,’ he told the BBC. ‘I think they [England] have tried to keep that spirit of pure trauma throughout in this one.
‘But you know what, let’s have penalties,’ he added. ‘Let’s go through it again.’
If Sunday’s showpiece does go to a shootout, there’s every chance one of Bronze or Batlle will need consoling at the full-time whistle. For the sake of Jorge and the Lionesses, let’s hope it’s not a repeat of the heartbreaking World Cup final in Sydney.
