England footballer Lucy Bronze told Sky News that 99.9 per cent of female players cannot afford to retire and live off their earnings.

The 33-year-old Chelsea player said he had “used my money wisely” and could “retire and live off my investments” but most of women’s football cannot do that.

When asked if a female player could afford to retire, Bronze said: “Probably the 1 per cent can do it. “If you manage your money wisely and live a certain lifestyle, then there is potential.

“I don’t live a crazy lifestyle with crazy cars or houses, so I can retire and live off my investments.

“I’ve been smart with my money, paying off student loans throughout my career.

“I know I’ve had success on teams with a lot of money… I’m probably in that top percentile.”

But the right-back added: “Probably 99.9% of female players… you have to think about life after football.”

It comes after former England captain Steph Houghton told the BBC on Friday she was paid just £4,000 a year at Arsenal.

The Bronze face Liverpool on Sunday and then face Manchester City next week in a crucial clash in the Super League title race.

Manchester City is currently at the top, 4 points ahead of Chelsea.

He said his team was “totally focused” and believed “if we play our good game we can beat any team out there.”

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When asked if life had changed after the Lionesses won the Euros in 2022, she said she had already had a certain level of recognition before that.

“I didn’t have to go from 0 to 100 overnight. I’ve shown steady improvement throughout my career,” he said.

“Winning the Euros changed things but I’ve already had that experience.”

Bronze also said it was difficult playing for Spanish club Barcelona after the Lionesses lost 1-0 to Spain in last year’s World Cup final.

“The first two days there was a bit of a strangeness in the air… walking into a Spanish club,” he said.

“Coming back to Spain was tough. When we left Australia, we had a week off. To get back to Barcelona… we went in and got congratulations, while the person in front of us and the person behind us were being congratulated for winning the World Cup (it was tough). “