Women's Soccer Player of the Year Contender Alessia Russo

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

The talented forward created a legacy with her club as they emerged as the first British team to win the Women's Champions League since the North London side did in 2008, and also helped guide England to the successful retention of their continental crown.

She scored in the European Championship showpiece match and found her groove for her club, making significant contributions throughout the season in front of goal and with her defensive efforts.

The forward was honored as the FWA's top female player for the previous campaign.

She was the WSL's joint top scorer, earning a share of the Golden Boot with her rival striker.

She scored twelve league goals for Arsenal and set up for a further two.

Her name was put forward for the 2025 Ballon d'Or and selected in the PFA and the European season's best XIs.

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

"I play my best football when I'm having fun 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. There are top teammates to learn off as well. Then when the important matches arrive, the more you do them, the more comfortable you become."

On winning Euro 2025 with England:

"The entire competition was a complete rollercoaster. There were ups and downs. It tested us mentally. We were physically drained.

"I recall after the last-eight 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 grit and resilience. And we were aware that we had the squad, we knew that we had the necessary qualities.

"You're playing against the best teams in the world, the elite athletes in the world and occasionally you have to win a little bit dirty."

Discussing the European final:

"The overriding feeling that stands out from that whole day was just being so calm, like we were confident we'd done the work, we knew that we had the ability, and we knew that we believed in the strategy and what we aimed to achieve.

"Obviously 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 frequently.

"As players in the high press and defensively, we were highly concentrated on our job at hand. There was extensive movement and plenty of defending. But in the end that's what got the job done. I think that you have to be content securing victories in that manner as well."

Regarding her inspiration, Kelly Smith:

"I got the pleasure of seeing her play a few times with my father. Watching her internationally, too, her talent was remarkable. I hope that she could have played longer 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 something that I always used to love."

The striker notched 12 goals in twenty-one games in the Women's Super League the previous campaign to divide the scoring award.

She was not just one of the most clinical players in the competition but Russo was also a constant threat in the penalty area throughout the campaign, taking more shots (seventy-three) and recording a superior xG (nine point seven) than all her peers.

Russo's ability to aid the side outside of her goals sets her apart.

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

Russo's ability to drop deep, freeing herself from her nearby marker through sharp, darting movements was notable.

If a defender got too close, she used her physicality to win free-kicks, assisting the side gain settled possession in the opponents' half. In the European tournament the prior year, nobody was fouled more than the Arsenal striker (fifteen).

When the ball does stick, her control are extremely efficient. Her regular awareness of her environment means she remains aware of where opponents are.

She uses few contacts on the ball, directing it away from opposing players marking closely, before locating nearby team-mates oriented forward.

By keeping possession in tough situations, Russo is regularly able to act as an release option for her side in trouble.

She can turn difficult passes into extended spells of controlled play and such phases in the opponent's final third result in scores, several of these she ends up scoring herself.