Female Footballer of the Year Contender Russo

Age: 26 Playing Role: Forward Teams: Arsenal and the English national team

Alessia Russo made history with her club as they became the first English team to claim victory in 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 European Championship showpiece match and hit top form for her team, making significant contributions all campaign long as an attacker and with her defensive efforts.

The forward was named the FWA's women's footballer of the year for the previous campaign.

Russo finished as the Women's Super League's joint top scorer, sharing the Golden Boot with Khadija Shaw.

She scored twelve WSL goals for Arsenal and set up for a couple more.

She was also nominated for the 2025 Ballon d'Or and selected in the Professional Footballers' Association and the Uefa Champions League season's best XIs.

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 that's something that I can always control.

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

Reflecting on England's European triumph:

"The whole tournament was a complete rollercoaster. There were ups and downs. It tested us mentally. It was taxing on our bodies.

"I recall after the Sweden [quarter-final] game, a lot of us were really, really battered and bruised. It was so intense. But recovery had to be swift. The schedule is relentless.

"I think the way that we won during the event was just determination and toughness. And I think that we knew that we had the team, we knew that we had what it takes.

"Facing the top sides in the world, the best players in the world and sometimes you have to grind out results."

Discussing the European final:

"The overriding feeling that I can remember from that whole day was just being very composed, 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 wanted to do.

"Naturally playing against a team like Barcelona, you must accept not possessing the ball because they're so talented. When they do have the ball, they retain it frequently.

"As players in the press and defensively, we were highly concentrated on our job at hand. There was extensive movement and a lot of defensive work. But in the end that's what got the job done. In my opinion you have to be content winning games like that as well."

Regarding her inspiration, Kelly Smith:

"I was fortunate of watching her a few times with my father. Seeing her for England, too, she was just incredible. I wish that her career lasted more and still be playing now, but she was one of the best ever.

"I think anyone that has played with Kelly would agree and I never got the pleasure of experiencing that. But watching her was someone that I always used to love."

Alessia Russo notched twelve goals in 21 games in the Women's Super League last season to divide the Golden Boot.

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

Russo's ability to aid the side beyond scoring distinguishes her.

Fellow player Mariona Caldentey regularly played forward balls into her, so effective ball retention was necessary.

Her skill to retreat into midfield, creating space from her nearby marker through sharp, darting movements was notable.

If a defender got in tight, she used her body well to draw fouls, helping her team gain settled possession in the enemy territory. In the Champions' League the prior year, no player was drawn more fouls than the forward (fifteen).

When the ball does stick, her control are extremely efficient. Her frequent scanning of her surroundings means she stays conscious of where opponents are.

Russo takes few contacts on the ball, directing it away from opposing players applying player-to-player pressure, before finding close colleagues positioned facing towards the goal.

By keeping possession in difficult scenarios, she is often capable to act as an outlet for her side in trouble.

She is able convert tough balls into long periods of stable possession and these possessions in the opponent's final third lead to goals, several of these she ends up scoring herself.