Female Soccer Player of the Year Candidate Alessia Russo

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

Alessia Russo made history with her club as they emerged as the pioneering English team to win the Women's Champions League since the Gunners did in the 2000s, and also helped guide England to the defence of their European Championship title.

Russo found the net in the European Championship 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, earning a share of the Golden Boot with her rival striker.

She scored 12 WSL goals for Arsenal and provided assists for a couple more.

Her name was put forward for the prestigious individual award 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:

"I play my best football 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's so detailed and there are so many fine margins. I'm always still learning. Our staff is excellent here at Arsenal. I have great players to learn off as well. Then when the important matches arrive, the greater your experience, the more comfortable you become."

On winning Euro 2025 with England:

"The whole tournament was a complete rollercoaster. There were ups and downs. It was emotionally really hard. We were physically drained.

"I recall after the Sweden [quarter-final] game, many players were really, really battered and bruised. It was so intense. But recovery had to be swift. It moves so fast.

"In my view the way that we won throughout that whole tournament was just determination and toughness. And we were aware that we had the team, we knew that we had the necessary qualities.

"Facing the best teams in the world, the elite athletes in the world and sometimes you have to grind out results."

Discussing the European final:

"The main emotion that stands out from that entire occasion was just being so calm, like we were confident our preparation was complete, we knew that we had the ability, and we knew that we believed in 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 their skill is exceptional. When in possession, they retain it frequently.

"We as athletes in the high 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 content winning games like that as well."

On Arsenal and England legend Kelly Smith being her idol:

"I was fortunate of seeing her play a couple of occasions with my dad. Seeing her for England, too, she was just incredible. I hope that her career lasted more and she was active today, but she was one of the best ever.

"I think those who teamed up with her would agree and I didn't have the chance of doing that. But observing her play was someone that I always used to love."

Alessia Russo notched 12 goals in twenty-one 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 league but she was also a persistent danger in the box throughout the campaign, taking more shots (seventy-three) and recording a superior xG (nine point seven) than any other player.

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

Fellow player a teammate regularly played forward balls into her, so strong hold-up play was necessary.

Her skill to drop deep, freeing herself from her nearby marker through quick, incisive runs was notable.

If a defender got in tight, she used her body well to win free-kicks, assisting the side gain settled possession in the enemy territory. In the Champions' League last season, 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 remains aware of where opponents are.

Russo takes few contacts on the ball, directing it away from opposing players marking closely, before finding close colleagues oriented forward.

By keeping possession in tough situations, she is often capable to act as an outlet for her team under pressure.

She can convert tough balls into extended spells of controlled play and these possessions in the opponent's final third lead to goals, many of which she ends up scoring herself.