Female Soccer Player of the Year Contender Alessia Russo

Years Old: 26 Playing Role: Striker Teams: The Gunners and the English national team

The talented forward created a legacy with Arsenal as they became the pioneering 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 the Lionesses to the defence of their European Championship crown.

Russo found the net in the European Championship showpiece match and found her groove for her team, making significant contributions all campaign long as an attacker and with her work off the ball.

Russo was honored as the FWA's women's footballer of the year for last season.

She was the WSL's joint top scorer, sharing the top scorer award with Khadija Shaw.

Russo netted 12 WSL goals for Arsenal and set up for a couple more.

Her name was put forward for the prestigious individual award and selected in the Professional Footballers' Association and the European season's best XIs.

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

"My top performances come when I'm having fun and I'm confident my efforts in practice and I'm getting my work done, so those are aspects that are within my power.

"There's so many different aspects to a number nine position, it requires precision and there are tiny differences. I'm always still learning. Our staff is excellent here at the club. There are top teammates to learn off as well. Then when the big games arrive, the greater your experience, the more you get used to them."

On winning Euro 2025 with England:

"The whole tournament was a complete rollercoaster. There were ups and downs. It tested us mentally. It was taxing on our bodies.

"I remember after the last-eight game, many players 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 throughout that whole tournament was just grit and resilience. And I think that we knew that we had the team, we knew that we had what it takes.

"Facing the top sides in the world, the best players in the world and occasionally you have to grind out results."

On the Champions League final:

"The main emotion that I can remember from that whole day 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 strategy and what we aimed to achieve.

"Naturally playing against a team like Barcelona, you've got to be comfortable not having the ball because they're so talented. When they do have the ball, they don't give it away that often.

"As players in the high press and out of possession, 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 content securing victories in that manner 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 hope that her career lasted more and still be playing now, but she ranks among the greats.

"I think those who teamed up with her would say the same thing and I never got the pleasure of doing that. But observing her play was someone that I greatly admired."

The striker scored twelve goals in 21 games in the WSL the previous campaign to share the scoring award.

She was not just one of the most clinical players in the competition but she was also a constant threat in the box throughout the campaign, attempting more efforts (73) and having a higher expected goals tally (9.7) than all her peers.

Her capability to aid the side outside of her goals distinguishes her.

Team-mate 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 marker got in tight, she used her physicality to draw fouls, assisting the side gain settled possession in the opponents' half. In the European tournament the prior year, nobody was drawn more fouls than the Arsenal striker (15).

When the play settles, Russo's touches are extremely efficient. Her regular awareness of her surroundings means she stays conscious of where opponents are.

Russo takes minimal touches on the ball, moving it clear from defenders applying player-to-player pressure, before finding nearby team-mates positioned facing towards the goal.

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

She can convert tough balls into long periods of stable possession and such phases in the attacking zone lead to goals, several of these she ends up scoring herself.