Having autism has worked to my advantage in football - Bronze

Lucy Bronze ever knew she was different.

When she was increasing up, the England international, who has won astir each accolade successful women's football, attempted to transcript her team-mates' behaviour successful bid to acceptable in.

The 2019 Ballon d'Or runner-up has since enjoyed outstanding occurrence some astatine location and abroad, winning 22 large trophies portion representing Liverpool, Manchester City, Lyon, Barcelona and Chelsea.

A Euro 2022 victor and 2023 World Cup runner-up with England, the 33-year-old is an inspiration to millions of young players and fans. But stats and honours aren't the lone things that marque a person.

Her mum had agelong suspected she whitethorn beryllium autistic, but it wasn't until 4 years agone that Bronze was officially diagnosed arsenic having autism, external and ADHD , external(attention shortage hyperactivity disorder).

Speaking exclusively to BBC Sport earlier Neurodiversity Celebration Week, Bronze opened up for the archetypal clip astir her diagnoses and the interaction they person connected her beingness connected and disconnected the pitch.

Although Bronze was lone diagnosed arsenic autistic successful 2021, the quality did not travel arsenic a immense astonishment to her.

"It was thing I ever knew astir successful a way," she says. "My mum had spoken astir it from a precise young property and noticed things successful me."

At schoolhouse her information manifested itself successful her conflict to work and spell, and she was diagnosed with dyslexia.

Since puerility Bronze has struggled to sleep, thing a slumber adept suggested could beryllium remedied by penning successful a diary earlier bed.

"I'd extremity up penning a publication then," Bronze says with a smile. "My encephalon is similar 100mph, adjacent erstwhile laying successful bed."

Bronze struggles to marque oculus interaction with radical during conversation, portion her wont of touching her hairsbreadth during games has been noticed by team-mates and fans alike.

"People deliberation 'she's ever messing about', but that's conscionable maine calming myself down without adjacent realising it," reflects Bronze.

It was during a Lionesses grooming campy that Bronze learned she had ADHD and autism.

"It didn't alteration thing essentially, but it was a spot of an oculus opener," Bronze says.

"I conscionable learned much astir myself, understood wherefore successful definite situations I saw things otherwise to different radical oregon acted successful a antithetic mode to different people.

"Getting to beryllium down and really talk done my traits and however it affects me, situations that marque maine consciousness bully oregon bad, that was the happening that truly clicked successful my caput and made maine consciousness truthful overmuch better."

Bronze describes however she "copied the behaviour of others" each done her 20s to disguise her autism.

The National Autistic Society defines masking arsenic a strategy utilized to "consciously oregon unconsciously look non-autistic", successful an effort to 'fit in' successful a neurotypical society.

It tin person devastating impacts connected intelligence health, consciousness of aforesaid and entree to an autism diagnosis.

"When I archetypal joined up with England I could not talk to anyone," Bronze says.

"[I remember] Casey Stoney said to me, 'You've ne'er looked maine successful the oculus erstwhile speaking to me', and I was like, 'It's not due to the fact that of you, it's me'.

"I would ticker Jill [Scott] and however she speaks to people. I thought I'd transcript her a bit. I'm amended astatine it present but I consciousness a spot uncomfortable sometimes.

"Hugging people, making oculus interaction erstwhile you speak, those 2 things I had to larn due to the fact that they're seen arsenic the norm, and I recovered them truthful difficult."

Luckily for Bronze, she has ever had friends and household astir her who understood what makes her consciousness uncomfortable.

"I've got to a constituent present wherever radical cognize I don't similar hugs, truthful they don't justice maine for not doing it," she adds.

"Before it was truthful frustrating due to the fact that I felt I had to bash that to marque different radical consciousness comfortable, but it made maine consciousness much uncomfortable.

"It's important for everyone to recognize the differences successful people."

Bronze has recovered that immoderate of her differences person been her strengths.

"How I process things, being super-focused. People ever say, 'Oh, you're truthful passionate astir football'," Bronze says.

"I don't cognize if I'd accidental I'm passionate, I'm obsessed. That's my autism, it's my hyper-focus connected football."

As idiosyncratic who started playing elder shot astatine 16, it is singular that Bronze is inactive performing astatine the highest level astatine 33.

She says she partially has autism to convey for her longevity.

"Something that is truly bully for ADHD and autism is exercise. Having that focus, thing to do, keeping moving," she says.

"Training each time is astonishing for me. Some of the different girls volition beryllium like: 'Are you definite you're 33 due to the fact that you don't stop?' All the things I person due to the fact that of autism person worked successful my advantage."

Bronze says that "a diagnosis is not going to alteration who you are, but knowing who you are is specified a bully thing".

She has go an ambassador for the National Autistic Society to assistance with "raising awareness" and "getting escaped of the stigma" astir it.

"There were times successful my beingness wherever things mightiness person been easier for maine if determination wasn't a stigma, if I felt I could beryllium much unfastened astir it," Bronze says.

"Being misunderstood erstwhile you're younger is truthful difficult, which is wherefore I wanted to articulation the charity."

Bronze says shot has helped her, giving her thing to absorption connected each time and the accidental to beryllium perpetually active. But what happens erstwhile she retires?

"People accidental they're disquieted astir what I'll bash erstwhile I don't person football, but I'll find thing else," she says.

"Even present with football, my caput is everyplace with it due to the fact that I'm truthful obsessed.

"Not adjacent conscionable playing but the boardroom, the coaching, the physios. I'm obsessed with it all."