Female Soccer Player of the Year Contender Russo

Years Old: 26 Playing Role: Forward Teams: The Gunners and England

Alessia Russo created a legacy with her club as they became the pioneering British team to win the prestigious European competition since the Gunners did in 2008, and also helped guide the Lionesses to the successful retention of their European Championship crown.

Russo found the net in the European Championship final and found her groove for her club, playing a crucial role throughout the season as an attacker and with her work off the ball.

The forward was named the FWA's top female player for the previous campaign.

She was the WSL's co-leading goalscorer, sharing the top scorer award with her rival striker.

Russo netted 12 WSL goals for Arsenal and set up for a further two.

Her name was put forward for the 2025 Ballon d'Or and selected in the PFA and the Uefa Champions League season's best XIs.

Russo on how she feels she has improved over the past year:

"I play my best football when I'm enjoying myself and I know I'm training hard and I'm getting my work done, so that's something that are within my power.

"There's so many different aspects to a striker's role, it's so detailed and there are so many fine margins. I continue to develop. We have great coaches here at Arsenal. There are top teammates to learn off as well. Then when the important matches arrive, the greater your experience, the more comfortable you become."

On winning Euro 2025 with England:

"The whole tournament was a total emotional ride. There were ups and downs. It tested us mentally. We were physically drained.

"I remember after the last-eight game, many players were extremely sore and injured. It was so intense. But you've got to turn it around quickly. It moves so fast.

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

"You're playing against the top sides in the world, the elite athletes in the world and sometimes you have to grind out results."

Discussing the European 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 strategy and what we aimed to achieve.

"Obviously playing against a team like Barcelona, you've got to be comfortable not possessing the ball because their skill is exceptional. When in possession, they don't give it away that often.

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

On Arsenal and England legend Kelly Smith being her idol:

"I was fortunate of seeing her play a couple of occasions with my dad. Seeing her for England, too, her talent was remarkable. I wish that she could have played longer and she was active today, but she was one of the best ever.

"I think anyone that has played with Kelly would agree and I didn't have the chance of doing that. But watching her was something that I always used to love."

Alessia Russo scored 12 goals in twenty-one games in the WSL last season to divide the Golden Boot.

Not only was she one of the most clinical players in the league but Russo was also a constant threat in the box all season long, attempting more efforts (seventy-three) and recording a superior xG (nine point seven) than all her peers.

Russo's ability to aid the side outside of her goals sets her apart.

Team-mate Mariona Caldentey often delivered progressive passes into her, so strong hold-up play was essential.

Russo's ability to retreat into midfield, creating space from her opposing defender through sharp, darting movements was notable.

If a marker got too close, Russo used her physicality to draw fouls, helping her team gain settled possession in the opponents' half. In the European tournament the prior year, nobody was fouled more than the Arsenal striker (15).

When the play settles, her control are highly effective. Her frequent scanning of her surroundings means she stays conscious of where rivals are.

She uses minimal touches on the ball, directing it away from opposing players marking closely, before finding close colleagues oriented forward.

By retaining the ball in tough situations, she is regularly able to act as an release option for her side in trouble.

She can turn difficult passes into long periods of controlled play and such phases in the attacking zone result in scores, several of these she ends up scoring herself.