London, April 29 : Premier League club Chelsea have suffered a big blow amid the ongoing season as their women's team captain, Millie Bright announced a shock retirement on Wednesday.

Bright ends her career as Chelsea's longest-serving player, having been part of the clubâ??s first trophy win in 2015 and the 19 that have followed since.

"Representing Chelsea over the last 12 years has been everything to me, but I'm now ready to say goodbye to playing football. Iâ??ve given all I can, and I never wanted to fight for any other badge. It is now time, and I'm ready to go into a new era. Iâ??m always going to be Chelsea, but just in a different way," Bright said in a statement shared by Chelsea.

The Premier League club said she will be staying on at the club as a "trustee of our foundation". It added that Bright will also be continuing to represent the club in a new role as club ambassador, reflecting her intrinsic link with Chelsea Football Club.

Signed from Doncaster Belles, Millie began her Chelsea career in the 2015 season and went on to play more Womenâ??s Super League matches than any other player, breaking Jordan Nobbsâ?? record of 210 during our match against Liverpool in November 2025 and now sits in top spot with 216.

She also holds our club's all-time appearance record (314) and has scored 19 total goals on the way to winning all eight of our WSL titles since our first in 2015. She has added six Womenâ??s FA Cup trophies to that list, as well as four Womenâ??s League Cups, earning two domestic Trebles, one in 2021 and the other in 2025.

On the international stage, Millie made her debut for England in September 2016, before going on to earn 88 caps and score six goals for her country.

One of the key members of Englandâ??s win at Euro 2022 on home soil, she went on to captain the Lionesses as they reached the World Cup final in 2023. She was awarded an OBE in the Kingâ??s New Yearâ??s Honours List of 2024, acknowledging her leadership and impact on the game.

/IANS