Women's Footballer of the Year Candidate Alessia Russo

Years Old: 26 Playing Role: Striker Teams: Arsenal and England

Alessia Russo made history with Arsenal as they became the pioneering English team to win the Women's Champions League since the North London side did in the 2000s, and also helped guide England 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 work off the ball.

The forward was named the Football Writers' Association's top female player for the previous campaign.

She was the WSL's co-leading goalscorer, sharing the Golden Boot with her rival striker.

Russo netted 12 league goals for Arsenal and provided assists for a couple more.

She was also nominated for the prestigious individual award and selected in the Professional Footballers' Association and the Uefa Champions League teams of the year.

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

"I play my best football when I'm enjoying myself and I'm confident I'm training hard 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 Arsenal. I have great players to learn off as well. Then when the important matches come around, 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. It was taxing on our bodies.

"I remember after the Sweden [quarter-final] game, a lot of us were really, really battered and bruised. The pressure was immense. But recovery had to be swift. The schedule is relentless.

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

"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."

Discussing the European final:

"The main emotion that stands out from that entire occasion 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 believed in the game plan and what we wanted to do.

"Obviously playing against a team like Barcelona, you've got to be comfortable not having the ball because they're so talented. When in possession, they retain it that often.

"As players in the press and defensively, we were really focused on our assigned tasks. 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 winning games like that as well."

Regarding her inspiration, Kelly Smith:

"I was fortunate of seeing her play a few times with my father. Seeing her for England, too, her talent was remarkable. I hope that her career lasted more and still be playing now, but she ranks among the greats.

"I think anyone that has played with Kelly would say the same thing and I never got the pleasure of experiencing that. But observing her play was something that I always used to love."

The striker scored 12 goals in twenty-one games in the WSL last season to divide the scoring award.

Not only was she one of the deadliest players in the competition but she was also a persistent danger in the box all season long, taking more shots (seventy-three) and having a higher expected goals tally (9.7) than any other player.

Her capability to aid the side outside of her goals sets her apart.

Fellow player a teammate regularly played progressive passes into her, so effective ball retention was necessary.

Her skill to retreat into midfield, freeing herself from her nearby marker through quick, incisive runs stood out.

If a defender got in tight, she used her body well to win free-kicks, assisting the side gain settled possession in the opponents' half. In the Champions' League the prior year, no player was drawn more fouls than the Arsenal striker (15).

When the ball does stick, Russo's touches are extremely efficient. Her regular awareness of her surroundings means she stays conscious of where rivals are.

Russo takes minimal touches on the ball, directing it away from defenders applying player-to-player pressure, before locating close colleagues positioned facing towards the goal.

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

She is able turn difficult passes into extended spells of stable possession and these possessions in the opponent's final third result in scores, many of which she ends up scoring herself.