Female Soccer Player of the Year Candidate Russo

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

The talented forward made history with Arsenal as they emerged as the first English team to claim victory in the Women's Champions League since the North London side did in 2008, and also helped guide the Lionesses to the successful retention of their continental title.

She scored in the Euro 2025 showpiece match and found her groove for her team, playing a crucial role all campaign long in front of goal and with her work off the ball.

The forward was named the Football Writers' Association's top female player for the previous campaign.

She was the WSL's co-leading goalscorer, earning a share of the Golden Boot with her rival striker.

She scored twelve WSL goals for the club and provided assists for a couple more.

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

Russo on how she feels she has improved over the previous season:

"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 are within my power.

"Numerous elements to a striker's role, it's so detailed and there are so many fine margins. I continue to develop. Our staff is excellent here at Arsenal. There are top teammates to learn off as well. Then when the important matches come around, the more you do them, the more you get used to them."

Reflecting on England's European triumph:

"The entire competition was a complete rollercoaster. There were ups and downs. It was emotionally really hard. It was taxing on our bodies.

"I remember after the last-eight game, many players were really, really battered and bruised. It was so intense. 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 determination and toughness. And I think that we knew that we had the team, we knew that we had what it takes.

"Facing the best teams 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 I can remember from that entire occasion was just being so calm, like we were confident we'd done the work, we knew that we had what it takes, 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 they're so talented. When in possession, they retain it that often.

"As players in the 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 ultimately 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 got the pleasure of watching her a couple of occasions with my dad. Seeing her for England, too, she was just incredible. I hope that she could have played longer and she was active today, but she ranks among the greats.

"I think anyone that has played with Kelly would say the same thing and I didn't have the chance of experiencing that. But observing her play was someone that I always used to love."

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

She was not just one of the most clinical players in the league but Russo was also a persistent danger in the penalty area throughout the campaign, taking more shots (73) and having a higher expected goals tally (9.7) than all her peers.

Her capability to aid the side outside of her goals distinguishes her.

Fellow player Mariona Caldentey often delivered forward balls into her, so strong hold-up play was necessary.

Russo's ability to drop deep, creating space from her opposing defender through sharp, darting movements was notable.

If a marker got in tight, Russo used her body well to win free-kicks, assisting the side gain settled possession in the enemy territory. In the European tournament the prior year, nobody was drawn more fouls than the forward (fifteen).

When the ball does stick, her control are extremely efficient. Her regular awareness of her environment means she remains aware of where opponents are.

Russo takes few contacts on the ball, moving it clear from defenders marking closely, before finding close colleagues oriented forward.

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

She can convert tough balls into extended spells of stable possession and these possessions in the attacking zone lead to goals, several of these she ends up scoring herself.