‘I’ll retire at Chelsea, it’s my club, and I adore everyone there. There’s not been a moment where I’ve asked myself if I should leave’ Millie Bright on her love for the Blues

Few players in English football are able to boast of winning eight league titles at their current club, but that’s just the situation Millie Bright finds herself in at Chelsea.

The 32-year-old joined the Blues in 2014 and has been front and centre during the club’s current golden age which has seen them dominate the domestic game over the past decade.

Chesterfield-born Bright began her career at Doncaster Belles, but when she was 19, they were demoted from the WSL to make way for Manchester City, a situation that still rankles with her.

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Bright on her journey to Chelsea

Bright joined Chelsea in 2014 (Image credit: Getty Images)

“[‘It was] really tough,” Bright tells FourFourTwo. “We had to play a whole season knowing that we were relegated. The decision was nothing to do with the football on the pitch – City came in and that was that. Chelsea moved in for me just as we got relegated, but I turned them down at first, not because I wasn’t grateful, but because I didn’t feel ready and needed some more playing time at Doncaster.

“I also didn’t want to abandon them just because we’d been relegated. Luckily Chelsea came in again later on, when I’d achieved everything I could with Doncaster and knew it was time. I had to ring my mum and dad to tell them I was moving to London!”

MIllie Bright began her career as a striker (Image credit: Getty Images)

This move to Chelsea also came at a time when Bright was still finding her best position, after she had started as a striker. “Clearly I was rubbish as a striker, so I got chucked back! [Laughs],” she continues. “I was a striker when I went on loan to Leeds at 18 and scored loads of goals there. Then I went back to Doncaster, moved into midfield, and started switching from midfield to centre-back over and over again – and at Chelsea too.

“I think I was 23 when I sat down with Emma Hayes and was like, ‘Right, what is my position? I want to be the world’s best in a position, what is it?’ She said centre-back and I was like, ‘OK, centre-back’. Although I do still go on little wanders up the pitch!”

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Fast forward to 2025 and Chelsea’s latest domestic treble saw Bright win her eighth league title in 11 years at the club.

“I’ll retire there – Chelsea is my club, and I adore everyone there,” she says. “I’m so proud of what we’ve achieved. Starting off in 2014, we hardly had any facilities and now we’ve got a massive gym, an incredible amount of staff, amazing pitches and a great relationship with the men’s side of the club. That’s taken time, and all the hard work that Emma Hayes did. I’ve loved it every single year. There’s not been a moment where I’ve asked myself, ‘Should I leave, should I not?’ I’ve got no reason to as long as I’m being pushed – I’ve turned 32 this year and still feel I can go to another level, I want to keep getting better.”

Bright celebrates a goal for Chelsea (Image credit: Getty Images)

It’s clear that Bright has no plans of hanging up her boots, but she has recently taken up a side hustle, launching a clothing range with artwork inspired by your tattoos and personal motto, ‘Dream big’.

“I’ve got a tattoo of an owl to represent home, as we’ve got a barn owl at my family’s stables in Sheffield,” she explains. “I’ve got a matching ‘1/2’ tattoo with my best friend Rachel Daly, ‘hakuna matata’, which means ‘no worries’, and a tiger that represents strength. ‘Dream big’ is something my mum has said since I was little – before every game, she still messages me that. No dream was ever too big, my family never held me back and said, ‘That’s not realistic’. My motto is, ‘They say I dream too big, I say they think too small’. I’ve lived by that.

Bright has launched her own limited edition sports bra and sportswear range, in partnership with MAAREE. For more information, visit MAAREE.com

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