Lucy Bronze has never tired of winning. At this point in her career, it’s likely she never will. For some players – perhaps less journeyed – the burden can be a weight to carry. But not Bronze. She wears her obsession like a badge of honour.

The latest Women’s Health cover star, entering her seventh major international tournament with England, has multiple roles to play this summer. First and foremost, she will be needed as the right-back raider, powering up and down the wing like a sprinter runs a 100m race.

But Bronze means much more than that to England’s chances of back-to-back successes.

It’s the leadership part that is liable to play a starring role as ‘new England’ attempt to defend ‘old England’s’ crown in Switzerland this July. Bronze the talker, the organiser and self-proclaimed “bossy mum” are all functions this latest squad – with seven players to never feature at a major tournament before – are short of.

England have evolved since Euro 2022. This current 23-player team has talent, energy and depth but do they have discipline? Are they tactically astute? Can they adapt under pressure and revert to Plan B when necessary?

The need to be all of those things and accept responsibility for personal performance would be overwhelming for most ordinary players. Fortunately, Bronze is far from ordinary, underpinned by a bullish belief that winning is always within grasp, no matter the circumstances.

Speaking at England’s media day in June, Bronze’s pre-competition glow was unmistakeable, as if embarking on her first tournament – in truth, at 33, this could turn out to be her last.

“Everyone knows I love playing for England,” she tells Sky Sports, camped next to Chelsea team-mate Lauren James at St George’s Park. “It’s something I’ll never ever take for granted. Nothing will ever compare to wearing the England shirt, and lifting a trophy for your country.”

The title-winning team of 2022, the apex of women’s football in this country, contained many cornerstones – Bronze one of them. But one might also point to the understated but brilliant craft of Fran Kirby, the sturdiness of Millie Bright, the solidity of Mary Earps – not forgetting the wiliness of England old-timers Ellen White and the infamous Jill Scott.

This time the make-up of the squad has altered, with Bronze the only remaining member of the names mentioned.

Sarina Wiegman’s selection three years ago held an average of 40 caps per player – this year’s group drops to 37 without Bronze, and rises to 42 with her. But by age, the profile is markedly younger.

For context, when Bronze played at her first Euros in 2013 – England failed to progress past the group stage – new No 1 Hannah Hampton was 12. The youngest member of the team, Michelle Agyemang, was seven.

The need for a player like Bronze, with such an abundance of hunger and desire but equal amounts of experience to draw from, has never been more pronounced. No individual is able to hammer home the Lionesses’ status as European winners like she can – a player whose dominance has followed her all over the continent.

Having completed her latest feat with Chelsea last season, Bronze became the first female player to win a domestic treble in three different countries (France, Spain and England). She collected five Champions League winner’s medals in that time too.

“I love all the trophies I’ve won in my career; I’ve been so lucky to represent the clubs I have,” she continues from England base camp.

“I’ve had fantastic experiences and could not have asked for more domestically, but my dream was always to win something with England.

“The more trophies I can win in an England shirt the better. It’s the best achievement because the opportunities are so few and so difficult.”

For anyone who needed reminding of the expectation on England this time around, the Euros trophy was paraded at their send-off friendly against Jamaica last week. A nod to the success, and, perhaps, a predestine gaze to the future.

Maybe the recap was as much a prompt to fans inside the King Power Stadium as it was the players themselves. Two days later the squad were pictured leaving for Zurich in t-shirts reading ‘Everyone watches the Lionesses’.

For the World Cup final loss to Spain in 2023, 12 million people tuned in and the number is likely to peak at something similar for their group-stage opener against France on Saturday. Bronze is able to style this kind of occasion better than most having built a unique tolerance for the big stage.

“When I came into my first tournament squad 12 years ago no one expected anything from England, but I expected us to win.” This conviction really has become a superpower.

She continues: “I’ve never been a player that’s expected anything less. The expectation on the outside might have changed over time, but for me I go into every tournament with the attitude ‘why can’t we win?’, ‘why can’t we be the best?'”

Bronze, capped 134 times and counting, is the nexus between old and new. Not just in the numerical sense but in England’s evolution of identity. She has transcended the era between the struggle to earn status and the right to behave like a team that owns it.

Winner’s ego now runs through the fabric of an England shirt in the same way it runs through Bronze’s DNA. There is belief to match the talent. All knitted together by a head coach in Wiegman who has monopolised this competition in recent years, winning the last two editions with the Netherlands before the Lionesses.

This might be ‘new England’, but at its core this team retains many of the hallmarks of a championship-winning side. And Bronze, the ultimate champion, seems sure they can do it all over again.