'Creeping into the women's game' - Chelsea & Lionesses star Millie Bright opens up on criticism from fan who asked for autograph

During Chelsea's 1-0 win over Aston Villa in the Women's Super League earlier this month, Blues skipper Bright was asked for a photo and autograph at Villa Park, only to then come in for abuse from the person who made the request. She later expressed her anguish over the incident on Instagram, revealing that she was labelled ‘f*cking sh*t’.

The 31-year-old defender has opened up on being abused on the pitch as she told BBC Sport: "I wasn't bothered about the opinion of my performance, it was the fact I had gone to the fans to give my time. It's comments like that, that can affect you. You don't deserve to be disrespected, especially not when you have given your time and efforts. I feel it's something that's creeping into the women's game. It was a really disappointing thing to come across."

Bright has now spent over a decade at Stamford Bridge and has won multiple trophies with the west London side, including seven WSL titles and six domestic cups. She continues to remain a key figure in the dressing room despite a change in management as Sonia Bompastor took charge of the club last summer following Emma Hayes' move to the United States women's national team. In the 2024-25 campaign, the experienced defender has appeared in 21 matches across all competitions.

Bright will be back in action for England this Friday as they take on Portugal in the first match of the Women's Nations League group stage.