Alexia Putellas and Millie Bright once went viral for iconic Arnold Clark Cup moment | OneFootball

The Arnold Clark Cup returns this week, with England, South Korea, Belgium and Italy set to contest the invitational football tournament held across three cities.

Milton Keynes, Bristol and Coventry are all hosting matches, with thousands of fans expected to turn out to cheer on the European champions.

Many have linked England’s success at Euro 2022 to their performances at last year’s Arnold Clark Cup, where they went unbeaten against heavyweights Germany, Spain and Canada.

The tournament is also remembered for a number of iconic moments, with one particular incident involving Lionesses defender Millie Bright and Spanish sensation Alexia Putellas quickly going viral.

Why did Millie Bright and Alexia Putellas go viral at the Arnold Clark Cup?

The Arnold Clark Cup gave England boss Sarina Wiegman an excellent opportunity to experiment with her team before Euro 2022.

But fans were still left surprised when Bright was transformed from a centre-back into a makeshift striker in the last 10 minutes of the Lionesses’ encounter with Germany.

Bright, who plays for Chelsea in the Women’s Super League, already had one goal to her name after scoring a stunning volley against Canada earlier in the tournament.

Video: Watch Millie Bright score stunning goal against Canada

With England needing to score a winner against Germany to clinch the Arnold Clark Cup title, the pressure was on Bright to deliver.

Thankfully for Wiegman, Bright thrives on pressure. The 29-year-old kept her composure when the ball fell kindly to her in the penalty box, taking a touch before coolly slotting it into the back of the net.

Fran Kirby then added to England’s goal tally in the dying minutes of the match to secure Arnold Clark Cup glory.

Bright’s goals matched the two scored by Putellas, and the pair were subsequently awarded the tournament’s Golden Boot to share.

How did fans react to Millie Bright receiving the Golden Boot?

Putellas, a two-time Ballon d’Or winner, is widely known for her goal scoring abilities. It was therefore no surprise to see her given the Golden Boot.

But fans were left delighted to see her share it with Bright, who is more used to earning praise for her world-class defending.

A photo of Putellas and Bright holding the Golden Boot together quickly went viral, with numerous memes made about the moment.

In her , Lucy Bronze addressed the viral moment.

“We really felt the support at the Arnold Clark Cup last year,” she wrote. “There were so many different moments that the fans loved, like Millie Bright finishing the tournament as joint-top goalscorer alongside Alexia Putellas.

"I think people thought it was quite comical, but it was also good for us to show a different side of our game, and that our centre-half could come up trumps with the goals!

"We’re looking forward to connecting with the fans at this year’s tournament, and to sharing those special moments both on and off the pitch again."