Female Soccer Player of the Year Contender Alessia Russo

Age: 26 Position: Forward Clubs: The Gunners and the English national team

Alessia Russo created a legacy with Arsenal as they emerged as the pioneering British team to win the Women's Champions League since the North London side did in 2008, and also played a key role in leading the Lionesses to the defence of their European Championship title.

She scored in the Euro 2025 showpiece match and hit top form for her club, playing a crucial role throughout the season as an attacker and with her work off the ball.

Russo was honored as the Football Writers' Association's top female player for last season.

Russo finished as the Women's Super League's joint top scorer, earning a share of the Golden Boot with her rival striker.

She scored 12 league goals for the club 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 previous season:

"I play my best football when I'm enjoying myself and I'm confident I'm training hard and completing my tasks, so those are aspects that I can always control.

"Numerous elements to a number nine position, it's so detailed and there are tiny differences. I continue to develop. 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 you get used to them."

On winning Euro 2025 with England:

"The whole tournament was a total emotional ride. There were ups and downs. It tested us mentally. We were physically drained.

"I recall after the Sweden [quarter-final] game, a lot of us were extremely sore and injured. It was so intense. But you've got to turn it around quickly. The schedule is relentless.

"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 team, 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 sometimes you have to win a little bit dirty."

On the Champions League final:

"The main emotion that I can remember from that entire occasion was just being very composed, like we knew 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 wanted to do.

"Naturally playing against a side such as Barça, you must accept not possessing the ball because they're so talented. When in possession, they retain it that often.

"As players in the press and defensively, we were highly concentrated on our assigned tasks. There was extensive movement and a lot of defensive work. But in the end that led to success. I think that you have to be OK winning games like that as well."

On Arsenal and England legend Kelly Smith being her idol:

"I got the pleasure of watching her a couple of occasions with my dad. Seeing her for England, 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 anyone that has played with Kelly would say the same thing and I didn't have the chance of doing that. But observing her play was someone that I greatly admired."

The striker notched 12 goals in 21 games in the Women's Super League the previous campaign to divide the scoring award.

Not only was she one of the most clinical players in the league 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 any other player.

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

Fellow player Mariona Caldentey regularly played progressive passes into Russo, so effective ball retention was necessary.

Russo's ability to drop deep, freeing herself from her nearby marker through quick, incisive runs stood out.

If a marker got in tight, she used her physicality to win free-kicks, helping her team secure the ball in the enemy territory. In the Champions' League last season, no player was drawn more fouls than the Arsenal striker (15).

When the ball does stick, her control are highly effective. Her regular awareness of her surroundings means she stays conscious of where rivals are.

She uses minimal touches on the ball, moving it clear from opposing players marking closely, before finding nearby team-mates oriented forward.

By retaining the ball in tough situations, she is regularly able to act as an release option for her side in trouble.

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