Female Soccer Player of the Year Contender Alessia Russo

Years Old: 26 Position: Striker Teams: Arsenal and England

The talented forward created a legacy with her club as they became the pioneering British team to claim victory in the prestigious European competition since the Gunners did in the 2000s, and also helped guide England to the successful retention of their European Championship crown.

Russo found the net in the Euro 2025 final and hit top form for her team, playing a crucial role all campaign long in front of goal and with her work off the ball.

Russo was named the FWA's women's footballer of the year for the previous campaign.

Russo finished as the Women's Super League's joint top scorer, earning a share of the top scorer award with Khadija Shaw.

She scored 12 league goals for Arsenal and provided assists for a further two.

Her name was put forward for the 2025 Ballon d'Or and named in the Professional Footballers' Association and the European teams of the year.

Russo on how she feels she has improved over the past year:

"My top performances come when I'm enjoying myself and I know I'm training hard and completing my tasks, so those are aspects that are within my power.

"There's so many different aspects to a number nine position, it requires precision and there are tiny differences. I'm always still learning. We have great coaches here at the club. There are top teammates to learn off as well. Then when the big games come around, the greater your experience, the more you get used to them."

On winning Euro 2025 with England:

"The whole tournament was a complete rollercoaster. 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 recovery had to be swift. It moves so fast.

"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 the necessary qualities.

"You're playing against the top sides in the world, the best players in the world and occasionally you have to grind out results."

Discussing the European final:

"The main emotion that stands out from that whole day was just being so calm, like we knew we'd done the work, 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 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 don't give it away that often.

"We as athletes in the press and out of possession, we were highly concentrated on our job at hand. It was a lot of running and plenty of defending. But in the end that led to success. In my opinion you have to be OK securing victories in that manner as well."

Regarding her inspiration, Kelly Smith:

"I got the pleasure of watching her a few times with my father. Watching her internationally, too, she was just incredible. I hope that her career lasted more and still be playing now, but she was one of the best ever.

"I believe those who teamed up with her would agree and I didn't have the chance of doing that. But watching her was something that I always used to love."

Alessia Russo notched twelve goals in 21 games in the WSL last season to share the scoring award.

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

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

Team-mate a teammate often delivered forward balls into Russo, so strong hold-up play was necessary.

Her skill to drop deep, creating space from her nearby marker through sharp, darting movements was notable.

If a defender got too close, she used her body well to draw fouls, assisting the side gain settled possession in the opponents' half. In the European tournament the prior year, no player was drawn more fouls than the Arsenal striker (fifteen).

When the play settles, Russo's touches are highly effective. Her regular awareness of her surroundings means she stays conscious of where rivals are.

She uses minimal touches on the ball, directing it away from opposing players marking closely, before locating nearby team-mates positioned facing towards the goal.

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

She can convert tough balls into extended spells of stable possession and such phases in the opponent's final third result in scores, several of these she finishes personally.