England, Chelsea defender Millie Bright retires from soccer because of injuries

Wed, April 29, 2026 at 10:15 AM UTC

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1 / 0Soccer Chelsea Bright RetiresFILE - Chelsea's Millie Bright runs during warmup before the women's Champions League semifinals, second leg, soccer match between Chelsea FC and FC Barcelona at Stamford Bridge in London, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Dave Shopland, file) ()

LONDON (AP) — Former England defender Millie Bright announced her retirement from soccer with immediate effect at the age of 32 on Wednesday after “playing injured for the last six years.”

“I'm tired. I'm just a human,” Bright said in an emotional video posted by Chelsea, her club since 2014.

Bright, who hasn't played for Chelsea since February because of an ankle problem, withdrew herself from selection for last year's European Championship — won by England — for mental and physical health reasons.

She played 88 times for England, having a key role in the national team's title-winning campaign at Euro 2022, and won eight league titles with Chelsea.

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Chelsea said Bright will remain part of the club as a trustee of its foundation and as a club ambassador.

“I'm ready to venture off into life and to do bigger things with the club, and to do that is really, really special to me,” she said. “You might losing me on the pitch but you're certainly not losing me as being a part of Chelsea.”

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

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Source: “AOL Sports”