Millie Bright believes she is close to reaching the peak of her powers with Chelsea flying high in the WSL and a Women's World Cup on the horizon next summer.
The centre-half was one of England 's most consistent players last summer during the Lionesses' run to European Championship glory. And with another major tournament not too far away Bright, who played more minutes than anyone else in the WSL in 2022, believes she is now close to playing her best football for both club and country.
Bright, 29, is expected to play a key role next summer when Sarina Wiegman aims to win back-to-back major tournaments for the first time in England's history. But it hasn't always been easy for her in an England shirt, Bright had to recover from World Cup heartbreak at the last finals in 2019, when she was sent off during a semi-final exit against USA.
Speaking this week on Sky Sports' Inside the WSL show the Chelsea defender revealed that she now feels capable of producing her Chelsea form for the national team.
"I feel like I'm growing with every year," said Bright. "But I think the club allows me to do that. Emma (Hayes) and the staff here allow me to do that and they always push me on each year.
"That's why I love being at this club because you never can stand still. It doesn't matter what age you are or what part of your career you're in, you always have to develop and strive for greatness really.
"That's why I love playing with these players and I definitely think I am coming into my peak years now.
"I really feel like I'm now playing at the same level for club and country and I'm expressing who I am as a player.
"I think it has taken me a while to produce my club performances in an England shirt, but it is really good at the minute."
Bright also namechecked Lioness teammate and Manchester United forward Alessia Russo as an opponent now 'on her radar' after a superb 2022. Russo scored against Bright's Chelsea back in November, although the Blues eventually won 3-1 to hand United a first WSL defeat of the season.
When asked about who she felt had experienced a breakthrough year, Bright put forward not only Russo, but also one of her Chelsea teammates.
"Alessa Russo 100 per cent,” she said. “People will say I’m biased because she is an English player. But I just think she is really coming into her game now. She is really maturing as a player now.
“You can see from her performances, she is now scoring regularly for both United and England, so she is definitely one to watch. She is still a young player as well, sometimes we forget how young these players are.
"I think Kadeisha (Buchanan) is one to watch as well. She is very calm and composed, she brings something a little different. And she is a great character as well."
When reflecting on a whirlwind 2022, Bright also stated the standout moment was yet to truly sink in. The centre-back formed a solid partnership with captain Leah Williamson, starting every game in a campaign that was crowned with a memorable 2-1 win over Germany at Wembley.
"The achievement still hasn't sunk in, no," she added. "I've spoke to a lot of older players who tell me that I'll only realise what I've achieved at the end of my career when I look back on it.
"Our football journey is so fast moving as well. You finish the Euros, win the Euros and then immediately are back in at club thinking 'now we need to win the league'.
"The train is so fast and it leaves little time for it to sink in. But this year will be one to remember forever and stands out in my career for sure.
"But it puts more expectation going into this season as well."
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