Female Footballer of the Year Contender Alessia Russo

Age: 26 Playing Role: Forward Clubs: The Gunners and England

Alessia Russo created a legacy with Arsenal 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 England to the defence of their continental crown.

She scored in the European Championship final and found her groove for her club, playing a crucial role all campaign long in front of goal and with her defensive efforts.

Russo was honored as the FWA's women's footballer of the year for last season.

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

Russo netted twelve WSL goals for Arsenal and provided assists for a couple more.

Her name was put forward for the 2025 Ballon d'Or and named 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 enjoying myself and I know my efforts in practice 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 tiny differences. I continue to develop. We have great coaches here at Arsenal. 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."

On winning Euro 2025 with England:

"The entire competition 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 really, really battered and bruised. The pressure was immense. 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 team, we knew that we had what it takes.

"You're playing against the best teams in the world, the elite athletes in the world and sometimes 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 so calm, like we knew 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 aimed to achieve.

"Obviously playing against a team like Barcelona, 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.

"We as athletes in the high press and defensively, we were highly concentrated on our job at hand. It was a lot of running and a lot of defensive work. But ultimately that's what got the job done. I think that you have to be OK securing victories in that manner 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. Watching her internationally, too, her talent was remarkable. I hope that she could have played longer and she was active today, but she ranks among the greats.

"I believe those who teamed up with her would agree and I didn't have the chance of experiencing that. But observing her play was someone that I greatly admired."

The striker notched 12 goals in 21 games in the WSL last season to divide the scoring award.

Not only was she one of the deadliest players in the league but she was also a persistent danger in the box all season long, attempting more efforts (seventy-three) and recording a superior xG (nine point seven) than all her peers.

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

Team-mate a teammate often delivered forward balls into Russo, so effective ball retention was necessary.

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

If a defender got too close, she used her physicality to draw fouls, helping her team secure the ball in the enemy territory. In the European tournament the prior year, no player was drawn more fouls than the forward (fifteen).

When the play settles, Russo's touches are extremely efficient. Her regular awareness of her surroundings means she remains aware of where rivals are.

Russo takes minimal touches on the ball, directing it away from opposing players applying player-to-player pressure, 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 team under pressure.

She is able convert tough balls into long periods of controlled play and such phases in the attacking zone lead to goals, many of which she ends up scoring herself.