Female Soccer Player of the Year Candidate Russo

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

Alessia Russo made history with Arsenal as they emerged as the pioneering British team to win the prestigious European competition since the Gunners did in 2008, and also played a key role in leading the Lionesses to the successful retention of their European Championship crown.

Russo found the net in the European Championship showpiece match and hit top form for her team, playing a crucial role all campaign long 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.

She was the Women's Super League's co-leading goalscorer, earning a share of the Golden Boot with Khadija Shaw.

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

Her name was put forward for the 2025 Ballon d'Or and named 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:

"My top performances come when I'm having fun and I know I'm training hard and completing my tasks, so that's something that I can always control.

"Numerous elements to a striker's role, it requires precision and there are so many fine margins. I continue to develop. We have great coaches here at the club. I have great players to learn off as well. Then when the important matches arrive, the greater your experience, the more comfortable you become."

Reflecting on England's European triumph:

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

"I remember after the last-eight game, a lot of us were extremely sore and injured. 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 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 best players in the world and occasionally you have to win a little bit dirty."

On the Champions League final:

"The overriding feeling that stands out from that entire occasion was just being very composed, like we knew our preparation was complete, 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 side such as Barça, you must accept not possessing the ball because they're so talented. When in possession, they don't give it away that often.

"We as athletes in the press and defensively, we were really focused on our job at hand. It was a lot of running and plenty of defending. But in the end that led to success. I think that you have to be content 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 hope that she could have played longer and still be playing now, 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 experiencing that. But watching her was something that I always used to love."

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

Not only was she one of the deadliest players in the competition but Russo was also a constant threat in the penalty area all season long, attempting more efforts (73) and recording a superior xG (nine point seven) 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 Russo, so effective ball retention was essential.

Russo's ability to retreat into midfield, freeing herself from her opposing defender through quick, incisive runs stood out.

If a defender got in tight, Russo used her physicality to draw fouls, assisting the side gain settled possession in the opponents' half. In the European tournament last season, nobody was fouled more than the Arsenal striker (15).

When the ball does stick, Russo's touches are highly effective. Her regular awareness of her environment means she remains aware of where rivals are.

Russo takes few contacts on the ball, directing it away from opposing players applying player-to-player pressure, before locating nearby team-mates positioned facing towards the goal.

By keeping possession in difficult scenarios, Russo is often capable to act as an release option for her team under pressure.

She can convert tough balls into extended spells of stable possession and these possessions in the opponent's final third lead to goals, many of which she ends up scoring herself.