Female Footballer of the Year Candidate Alessia Russo

Years Old: 26 Position: Forward Clubs: The Gunners and England

The talented forward created a legacy with Arsenal as they became the first British team to win the Women's Champions League since the North London side did in the 2000s, and also played a key role in leading England to the successful retention of their continental crown.

Russo found the net in the Euro 2025 showpiece match and found her groove for her team, playing a crucial role all campaign long as an attacker and with her work off the ball.

Russo was named the FWA's top female player for last season.

She was the WSL's co-leading goalscorer, earning a share of the top scorer award with her rival striker.

She scored 12 WSL goals for Arsenal and set up for a further two.

She was also nominated for the 2025 Ballon d'Or and named in the Professional Footballers' Association and the European season's best XIs.

Her thoughts on personal development over the past year:

"My top performances come when I'm having fun and I know my efforts in practice and I'm getting my work done, so that's something 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. We have great coaches here at Arsenal. There are top teammates to gain knowledge from 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 total emotional ride. There were ups and downs. It was emotionally really hard. We were physically drained.

"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. 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 squad, we knew that we had the necessary qualities.

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

Discussing the European final:

"The overriding feeling that stands out from that entire occasion was just being very composed, like we were confident 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 must accept not having the ball because their skill is exceptional. When in possession, they retain it frequently.

"As players in the high press and out of possession, we were highly concentrated on our assigned tasks. It was a lot of running and plenty of defending. But ultimately that's what got the job done. I think that you have to be OK winning games like that as well."

Regarding her inspiration, Kelly Smith:

"I was fortunate of seeing her play a few times with my dad. Watching her internationally, too, her talent was remarkable. I wish that she could have played longer and still be playing now, but she was one of the best ever.

"I believe anyone that has played with Kelly would agree and I didn't have the chance of doing that. But watching her was something that I greatly admired."

Alessia Russo notched twelve goals in twenty-one games in the WSL last season to divide the Golden Boot.

Not only was she one of the most clinical players in the league but she was also a constant threat in the box all season long, taking more shots (73) and recording a superior xG (9.7) than all her peers.

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

Fellow player a teammate often delivered progressive passes into her, so strong hold-up play was essential.

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

If a marker got in tight, 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 Arsenal striker (15).

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

Russo takes few contacts on the ball, moving it clear from opposing players marking closely, before finding nearby team-mates positioned facing towards the goal.

By retaining the ball in difficult scenarios, Russo is regularly able to act as an release option for her side in trouble.

She can turn difficult passes 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.