You are my mums (a Lucy Bronze fanfic) - Book 2

Chapter 43 - Gracias culers

A/N - Unfortunately this is the last chapter, I hope you enjoy

20th June 2028

Rosie's POV:

"I want you to captain our final game of the season Rosie"

Happy. Proud. Grateful. Sad. Excited. Nervous. What the fuck.

I had been on the captaincy list for a while now, but very rarely got a chance to wear the armband. The order went Alexia, Keira, Patri and then me. In my entire Barcelona career, I had been called upon once. It was in a pre-season friendly where Ale and Keira were being rested, and Patri went off at half time with a small injury. 45 minutes was the extent of my experience. Not much at all compared to the likes of Alexia who is the captain.

Frowning, I questioned, "Are the other three not playing?". I was confused. The most important game of the season and 3 of our best players didn't seem to be even making an appearance on the pitch. Jonatan replied, "They are...we've all discussed it and we want you to captain the team to win the league for your final time". It was extremely bittersweet. Of course being named captain was a huge honour, but knowing it would be my last time wearing the shirt pained me to think about. 5 years. Half a decade. 245 appearances, 119 goals, 85 assists. They are some figures I am definitely proud of. I hope I can replicate those numbers where I go next. It will be hard. The competition at my new club was incredible, many people playing the same position as me. That's the type of environment I thrive in, trying to be the best. As Lucy always tells me, the be the best you have to beat the best. And that's exactly what I intend on doing. Not in a ruthless way. I also plan on making as many new friends as possible, hoping to make the transition easier.

Georgia officially left her job last week. It made the whole situation feel very real. She had decided to work full time for our company, meaning she could work from anywhere in the world. We had decided not to sell our house, but to rent it out for the times we wouldn't be in the country. As we had only bought it a year prior, it seemed a shame to remove it from our lives completely. If we did come back to Barcelona during that time, we could always stay with my mums or friends.

It was a weird feeling to be standing in the tunnel in front of my mums. I was the first in line, ahead of Sandra. Swaying from side to side, my eyes remained fixated on the grassy pitch far in front of us. We were playing Atlético Madrid who were a decent side, but I was confident we would get the win on this occasion. I didn't just want this win, I needed it so badly. Not just for me, but for Lucy. It was her final ever game of football. Throughout the past hour of both of us putting a Barcelona kit on for the last time, the emotions had nearly bubbled over. For years it had been the three of us. The Bronze-Walsh family. And now it would be just Keira. It felt like everything was happening at once, major changes occuring.

Lucy's retirement had been a shock, with fans refusing to believe she was being serious. I think they all truly thought she was going to play until she physically couldn't anymore. But my mum didn't want to end her spectacular career that way. If she was forced out of the sport she had dedicated her life to due to a serious injury, I was certain she would hate it. I couldn't blame her for wanting to finish things on a high. She has won 10 Champion's League trophies, a massive amount of league titles in multiple countries, a World cup, a Euros. There's nothing more left for her to win, she's done it all. When I found out she would be retiring at the end of the 27/28 season, I was in shock. Through time, and Lucy explaining it to me, I began to accept and understand it. But it made it no easier leading my team out of the tunnel, knowing it was my mum's last time stepping onto the grass in a professional football match. This was it. She had one more final pre-match team huddle, and then it would be over.