Female Footballer of the Year Contender Russo

Age: 26 Playing Role: Striker Teams: The Gunners and England

Alessia Russo created a legacy with her club as they emerged as the first English team to win the Women's Champions League since the Gunners did in the 2000s, and also helped guide the Lionesses to the successful retention of their European Championship title.

Russo found the net in the Euro 2025 final and found her groove for her team, playing a crucial role throughout the season as an attacker and with her defensive efforts.

The forward was honored as the FWA's women's footballer of the year for last season.

She was the Women's Super League's co-leading goalscorer, sharing the Golden Boot with her rival striker.

Russo netted 12 league goals for Arsenal and provided assists for a couple more.

Her name was put forward for the 2025 Ballon d'Or and named in the Professional Footballers' Association and the Uefa Champions League teams of the year.

Her thoughts on personal development over the past year:

"My top performances come when I'm having fun and I'm confident my efforts in practice and I'm getting my work done, so those are aspects that I can always control.

"There's so many different aspects to a striker's role, it's so detailed and there are tiny differences. I'm always still learning. Our staff is excellent here at the club. There are top teammates to learn off as well. Then when the important matches arrive, the greater your experience, the more you get used to them."

On winning Euro 2025 with England:

"The whole tournament was a complete rollercoaster. There were ups and downs. It tested us mentally. We were physically drained.

"I recall after the last-eight game, many players were extremely sore and injured. The pressure was immense. But you've got to turn it around quickly. The schedule is relentless.

"In my view the way that we won throughout that whole tournament was just grit and resilience. And we were aware that we had the team, we knew that we had the necessary qualities.

"Facing the best teams in the world, the elite athletes in the world and sometimes you have to grind out results."

On the Champions League final:

"The main emotion that stands out from that whole day was just being so calm, like we were confident we'd done the work, we knew that we had the ability, and we knew that we believed in the game plan and what we aimed to achieve.

"Naturally playing against a team like Barcelona, you've got to be comfortable not having the ball because they're so talented. When in possession, they don't give it away that often.

"We as athletes in the press and out of possession, we were highly concentrated on our job at hand. It was a lot of running and a lot of defensive work. But in the end that led to success. I think that you have to be OK winning games like that as well."

Regarding her inspiration, Kelly Smith:

"I got the pleasure of seeing her play a couple of occasions with my dad. Watching her internationally, too, her talent was remarkable. I wish that her career lasted more and she was active today, but she ranks among the greats.

"I think those who teamed up with her would say the same thing and I never got the pleasure of doing that. But observing her play was something that I always used to love."

The striker notched twelve goals in 21 games in the Women's Super League last season to share the Golden Boot.

Not only was she one of the deadliest players in the league but Russo was also a persistent danger in the penalty area all season long, taking more shots (73) and having a higher expected goals tally (9.7) than any other player.

Her capability to contribute to the team outside of her goals distinguishes her.

Fellow player a teammate regularly played forward balls into her, so strong hold-up play was necessary.

Her skill to retreat into midfield, freeing herself from her nearby marker through quick, incisive runs stood out.

If a defender got in tight, Russo used her physicality to win free-kicks, assisting the side gain settled possession in the opponents' half. In the European tournament the prior year, nobody was fouled more than the Arsenal striker (fifteen).

When the ball does stick, her control are highly effective. Her regular awareness of her surroundings means she stays conscious of where opponents are.

She uses minimal touches on the ball, moving it clear from opposing players marking closely, before locating nearby team-mates positioned facing towards the goal.

By keeping possession in difficult scenarios, she is regularly able to act as an release option for her team under pressure.

She is able turn difficult passes into long periods of controlled play and these possessions in the attacking zone result in scores, many of which she ends up scoring herself.