Female Footballer of the Year Contender Russo

Years Old: 26 Position: Striker Clubs: The Gunners and the English national team

Alessia Russo created a legacy with her club as they emerged as the pioneering British team to win the prestigious European competition since the North London side did in 2008, and also helped guide England to the defence of their European Championship crown.

She scored in the European Championship final and found her groove for her club, making significant contributions all campaign long as an attacker and with her work off the ball.

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

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

She scored 12 league 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 Professional Footballers' Association and the Uefa Champions League teams of the year.

Her thoughts on personal development over the previous season:

"My top performances come when I'm having fun and I'm confident I'm training hard and I'm getting my work done, so those are aspects that are within my power.

"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. We have great coaches here at Arsenal. I have great players to gain knowledge from as well. Then when the important matches come around, the more you do them, the more comfortable you become."

On winning Euro 2025 with England:

"The whole tournament was a complete rollercoaster. It was highs and lows. It was emotionally really hard. It was taxing on our bodies.

"I recall after the last-eight game, a lot of us were extremely sore and injured. The pressure was immense. But recovery had to be swift. The schedule is relentless.

"In my view 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 what it takes.

"Facing the best teams in the world, the best players in the world and occasionally you have to win a little bit dirty."

On the Champions League final:

"The main emotion that I can remember from that entire occasion was just being very composed, like we knew our preparation was complete, 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've got to be comfortable not possessing the ball because they're so talented. When they do have the ball, they retain it that often.

"We as athletes 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."

On Arsenal and England legend Kelly Smith being her idol:

"I was fortunate of watching her a couple of occasions with my father. Seeing her for England, too, her talent was remarkable. I wish that her career lasted more 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 never got the pleasure of doing that. But observing her play was someone that I greatly admired."

The striker notched twelve goals in 21 games in the Women's Super League the previous campaign to divide the Golden Boot.

She was not just one of the most clinical players in the competition 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.

Her capability to contribute to the team outside of her goals sets her apart.

Fellow player Mariona Caldentey often delivered forward balls into her, so effective ball retention was essential.

Her skill to retreat into midfield, freeing herself from her opposing defender through sharp, darting movements stood out.

If a marker got in tight, she used her body well to draw fouls, helping her team gain settled possession in the opponents' half. In the Champions' League the prior year, no player was fouled more than the Arsenal striker (fifteen).

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

Russo takes minimal touches on the ball, moving it clear from defenders marking closely, before finding nearby team-mates oriented forward.

By retaining the ball in tough situations, Russo is often capable to act as an outlet for her side in trouble.

She can convert tough balls into long periods of stable possession and these possessions in the opponent's final third result in scores, many of which she ends up scoring herself.