“Remarkable” is a word that pretty much sums up the destiny and career of Lucy Bronze. FIFA.com has already told the story of how, before making it to the pinnacle of world football, she spent her time working in a pizza shop and hobbling around on crutches.

That same adjective can also be applied to the season the English player has just enjoyed with her national team and Olympique Lyonnais. We look back at three highlights from a year that has led to her being named a finalist for The Best FIFA Women’s Player award.

For the second time in a row, England reached the semi-finals of the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ and for the second time in a row Lucy Bronze had a lot to do with it. The right-back played in all of the Three Lionesses’ seven matches and excelled in each of them, not least when scoring in the 3-0 defeat of Norway in the quarter-finals.

Having provided an assist for Jill Scott’s opener and played a part in her side’s second, scored by Ellen White, Bronze struck with a stunning drive from outside the penalty area to complete the scoring. Nominated for Goal of the Tournament, it was a virtual carbon copy of her long-range drive against the same opponents at Canada 2015 and set the seal on an outstanding France 2019 for the player, who collected the adidas Silver Ball behind USA’s Megan Rapinoe.

Bronze’s stellar season came on the back of a hugely successful 2017/18. Having signed for Olympique Lyonnais following three Women’s Super League titles and an FA Cup won with Liverpool and Manchester City, she added to her career honours with a French championship win and a UEFA Women’s Champions League triumph in her first season in France.

Then in her second the defender helped her club retain both those trophies, scoring one goal in 16 league matches and another in nine European outings, while also setting up Ada Hegerberg for her third goal in the Champions League final against Barcelona.

Not content with that, Bronze and l’OL completed a treble by also winning the Coupe de France. And as if that were not enough, further glory came her way when England lifted the prestigious SheBelieves Cup ahead of USA, Japan and Brazil.

In a few short days Bronze will find out if she will be adding The Best FIFA Women’s Player 2019 award to her growing list of accolades, which includes the UEFA Women’s Player of the Year award, presented to her in August.

The first defender and English player ever to receive the distinction, she won it ahead of her Lyon team-mates Ada Hegerberg and Amandine Henry, whose statistics tend to catch the eye more thanks to their exploits further up the pitch. Positioned at right-back, Bronze is accustomed to being overshadowed, but such is her talent and the calibre of her performances that she has been unable to stay out of the limelight for long.

“Everyone who know me knows that I want to be the best in everything I do, but not because I want to get the better of somebody else or because I want the glory,” said the modest Bronze. “It’s my own personal motivation. Getting plaudits is not really my thing, which is why I play a team sport. I’ve always preferred team trophies over individual honours.”

Come Milan on 23 September she may well have to put that preference to one side and step up to collect The Best FIFA Women’s Player 2019 award.