I don't call myself a women's footballer; I say I'm a

When Lucy Bronze declared, “I don’t call myself a women’s footballer; I say I’m a footballer,” she spoke not merely as an athlete, but as a warrior breaking the chains of division. Her words rise against the subtle wall that separates women from men, as if their achievements must forever be marked with a lesser title. By naming herself simply a footballer, she claimed equality, declaring that the game itself knows no gender—only skill, spirit, and the courage to compete.

The ancients would have understood this struggle for identity. In Greece, women were barred from the Olympic Games, forced to stand as spectators while men won eternal glory. Yet legends tell of Kyniska of Sparta, who defied this exclusion by entering her horses into the chariot races and winning. Though she was crowned victor, her triumph was still marked as unusual, her name followed always by the reminder that she was a woman. Bronze’s defiance echoes this same ancient cry: greatness should not need a qualifier.

History shows how language itself becomes a battlefield. When athletes like Billie Jean King fought for equality in tennis, they sought not to be “women players,” but simply champions. Each demanded that their worth be measured not against their gender, but against the standard of excellence itself. So too does Lucy Bronze, by rejecting the label “women’s footballer,” demand recognition not as an exception, but as part of the great lineage of footballers who carry the sport’s glory.

Her words are also a reminder of how stereotypes diminish achievement. To call her a “women’s footballer” suggests she competes in a separate, lesser world, when in truth she embodies the same dedication, skill, and sacrifice as any of her male counterparts. By stripping away the qualifier, she strips away limitation, standing tall in the fullness of her identity as an athlete first and foremost.

Thus, let her wisdom endure: the true measure of greatness is not in labels, but in deeds. A footballer is not defined by gender, but by the fire of the game, the training of the body, and the resilience of the spirit. Lucy Bronze’s declaration is both personal and universal—a reminder that in every field of life, women must not be confined by categories, but embraced as equals. For in the end, greatness speaks for itself, needing no other name.