Women's Soccer Player of the Year Contender Russo

Age: 26 Playing Role: Striker Teams: The Gunners and the English national team

Alessia Russo made history with Arsenal as they emerged as the pioneering British team to win the Women's Champions League since the Gunners did in the 2000s, and also helped guide the Lionesses to the defence of their continental title.

She scored in the Euro 2025 final and found her groove for her team, making significant contributions throughout the season in front of goal and with her defensive efforts.

Russo was honored as the Football Writers' Association's women's footballer of the year for the previous campaign.

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

She scored twelve league goals for Arsenal and provided assists for a further two.

Her name was put forward for the prestigious individual award 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:

"I play my best football when I'm having fun and I know I'm training hard and completing my tasks, so those are aspects that I can always control.

"There's so many different aspects to a striker's role, it requires precision and there are so many fine margins. I continue to develop. Our staff is excellent here at the club. I have great players to learn off as well. Then when the big games 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 total emotional ride. There were ups and downs. It was emotionally really hard. It was taxing on our bodies.

"I recall 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. The schedule is relentless.

"I think the way that we won during the event 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 best teams in the world, the elite athletes in the world and occasionally you have to grind out results."

On the Champions League final:

"The main emotion that I can remember from that entire occasion was just being very composed, like we were confident we'd done the work, we knew that we had what it takes, and we knew that we trusted the game plan and what we wanted to do.

"Naturally playing against a side such as Barça, you've got to be comfortable not possessing the ball because their skill is exceptional. When they do have the ball, they retain it that often.

"As players in the high press and out of possession, 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. I think that you have to be content winning games like that as well."

Regarding her inspiration, Kelly Smith:

"I was fortunate of watching her a couple of occasions with my dad. Watching her internationally, too, her talent was remarkable. I wish that she could have played longer and still be playing now, but she was one of the best ever.

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

Alessia Russo notched twelve goals in twenty-one games in the WSL the previous campaign to divide the Golden Boot.

Not only was she one of the most clinical players in the competition but Russo was also a constant threat in the box all season long, taking more shots (73) and recording a superior xG (9.7) than any other player.

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

Team-mate Mariona Caldentey regularly played forward balls into her, so effective ball retention was essential.

Her skill to drop deep, creating space from her nearby marker through quick, incisive runs stood out.

If a marker got in tight, Russo used her body well to draw fouls, assisting the side gain settled possession in the opponents' half. In the European tournament the prior year, nobody was fouled more than the forward (fifteen).

When the play settles, Russo's touches are highly effective. Her frequent scanning of her environment means she stays conscious of where opponents are.

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

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

She can turn difficult passes into long periods of controlled play and such phases in the opponent's final third lead to goals, several of these she ends up scoring herself.