Female Footballer of the Year Candidate Russo

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

Alessia Russo made history 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 England to the defence of their European Championship crown.

Russo found the net in the Euro 2025 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 honored as the FWA's women's footballer of the year for the previous campaign.

Russo finished as the Women's Super League's co-leading goalscorer, sharing the top scorer award with her rival striker.

She scored 12 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 PFA and the European season's best XIs.

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

"I play my best football when I'm having fun and I know 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 so many fine margins. I continue to develop. We have great coaches here at the club. There are top teammates to gain knowledge from as well. Then when the important matches arrive, the greater your experience, 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. We were physically drained.

"I remember after the last-eight game, a lot of us were extremely sore and injured. The pressure was immense. But you've got to turn it around quickly. It moves so fast.

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

"You're playing against the best teams in the world, the best players in the world and sometimes you have to win a little bit dirty."

On the Champions League final:

"The main emotion that stands out from that whole day was just being very composed, like we were confident our preparation was complete, we knew that we had what it takes, and we knew that we trusted the game plan and what we aimed to achieve.

"Obviously playing against a team like Barcelona, you've got to be comfortable not having the ball because their skill is exceptional. When they do have the ball, they retain it that often.

"We as athletes in the press and out of possession, we were really focused on our job at hand. It was a lot of running and a lot of defensive work. But ultimately that led to success. In my opinion you have to be content securing victories in that manner as well."

On Arsenal and England legend Kelly Smith being her idol:

"I got the pleasure of seeing her play a few times with my dad. Seeing her for England, too, her talent was remarkable. I hope that she could have played longer and still be playing now, but she was one of the best ever.

"I think anyone that has played with Kelly would say the same thing and I never got the pleasure of doing that. But observing her play was something that I greatly admired."

Alessia Russo notched 12 goals in 21 games in the Women's Super League last season to divide the scoring award.

She was not just one of the deadliest players in the competition but Russo was also a constant threat in the penalty area all season long, attempting more efforts (seventy-three) and having a higher expected goals tally (9.7) than any other player.

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

Team-mate a teammate regularly played forward balls into Russo, so effective ball retention was essential.

Russo's ability to retreat into midfield, freeing herself from her nearby marker through sharp, darting movements was notable.

If a defender got in tight, she used her physicality to draw fouls, assisting the side gain settled possession in the opponents' half. In the European tournament last season, nobody was fouled more than the forward (15).

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

Russo takes minimal touches on the ball, directing it away from opposing players marking closely, before locating close colleagues positioned facing towards the goal.

By retaining the ball in tough situations, Russo is often capable to act as an release option for her team under pressure.

She can turn difficult passes into long periods of stable possession and these possessions in the attacking zone lead to goals, many of which she finishes personally.