England star in line for £200,000 sponsorship deal

Lucy Bronze is being lined up for a potential £200,000 sponsorship contract from a leading clothing brand after being hailed as the “best in the world” by England manager Phil Neville.

The 27-year-old, whose brilliant strike sealed a semi-final place in a 3-0 victory against Norway on Thursday, and at least two teammates are on a shortlist to receive offers within weeks, according to a well-placed source representing two high-street names.

Bumper BBC viewing figures for the tournament in France are said to have turbocharged the financial prospects of the squad. One wellknown brand, which The Daily Telegraph has agreed not to name, is in advanced talks internally about making a formal offer after being “impressed by the team’s brilliant personalities as well as the quality of their football”, the source said.

A huge frustration for the earning power of the women’s game in recent years has been that rights for major tournaments have been sold in bundles with the men’s game. This month, Fifa president Gianni Infantino admitted governing bodies needed to do more to commercialise the sports independently.

The gulf in player-salary earning power between the women’s and men’s games remains vast. Before the tournament, the best-paid player was Lyon’s Ada Hegerberg, on around £343,000 per annum. Bronze, who plays for the same club, is believed to earn somewhere in excess of £200,000, including her central contract with England worth £25,000 a year.

The average salary at Lyon, who have won the Champions League four years in a row, is £140,000, which dwarfs most of the pay packets on offer in the English women’s top flight. Most of the players in the domestic game reportedly earn less than £35,000 a year.