Female Soccer Player of the Year Candidate Alessia Russo

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

Alessia Russo made history with Arsenal as they became the first English team to win the Women's Champions League since the Gunners did in 2008, and also played a key role in leading the Lionesses to the defence of their European Championship crown.

She scored in the European Championship showpiece match and found her groove for her team, making significant contributions throughout the season as an attacker and with her defensive efforts.

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

She was the WSL's joint top scorer, earning a share of the Golden Boot with Khadija Shaw.

Russo netted 12 league goals for Arsenal 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 Uefa Champions League season's best XIs.

Her thoughts on personal development over the past year:

"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 I can always control.

"There's so many different aspects to a striker's role, it's so detailed and there are tiny differences. I'm always still learning. We have great coaches here at the club. I have great players to gain knowledge from as well. Then when the big games arrive, the greater your experience, the more comfortable you become."

On winning Euro 2025 with England:

"The entire competition was a total emotional ride. There were ups and downs. It tested us mentally. We were physically drained.

"I remember after the last-eight game, many players were really, really battered and bruised. The pressure was immense. But you've got to turn it around quickly. It moves so fast.

"In my view 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 what it takes.

"You're playing against the top sides 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 very composed, like we were confident our preparation was complete, we knew that we had the ability, and we knew that we trusted the strategy and what we aimed to achieve.

"Naturally playing against a side such as Barça, you must accept not possessing the ball because they're so talented. When they do have the ball, they retain it frequently.

"We as athletes in the press and defensively, we were highly concentrated on our job at hand. There was extensive movement and plenty of defending. But ultimately that's what got the job done. 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 watching her a few times with my dad. Watching her internationally, too, she was just incredible. I hope that she could have played longer and she was active today, but she was one of the best ever.

"I believe anyone that has played with Kelly would say the same thing and I never got the pleasure of experiencing that. But watching her was someone that I greatly admired."

Alessia Russo scored twelve goals in 21 games in the WSL last season to share the Golden Boot.

Not only was she one of the deadliest players in the league but she was also a constant threat in the penalty area all season long, taking more shots (seventy-three) and having a higher expected goals tally (9.7) than all her peers.

Her capability to contribute to the team beyond scoring sets her apart.

Fellow player a teammate regularly played progressive passes into Russo, so strong hold-up play was essential.

Her skill to retreat into midfield, creating space from her opposing defender through quick, incisive runs stood out.

If a marker got in tight, Russo used her physicality to draw fouls, assisting the side secure the ball in the opponents' half. In the Champions' League the prior year, nobody was drawn more fouls than the forward (15).

When the play settles, her control are highly effective. Her regular awareness of her environment means she stays conscious of where rivals are.

She uses minimal touches on the ball, moving it clear from opposing players applying player-to-player pressure, before finding close colleagues oriented forward.

By retaining the ball in tough situations, she is regularly able to act as an outlet for her side in trouble.

She can turn difficult passes into extended spells of stable possession and such phases in the opponent's final third lead to goals, many of which she finishes personally.