By Emme Fortnam (16/1/26)
Above: Russo after scoring against Chelsea in 2023 Photo: Lucy Copsey
Winning both the Euros and Champions League in 2025, Alessia Russo cemented her legacy in the women’s game and in England. Starting as a striker for both and delivering goals in crucial moments, Russo has proved teams can rely on her. Emme Fortnam looks at the career of Arsenal’s number 23 and her new focus this season.
Alessia Russo, 26, originally from Maidstone, Kent, started her football career at Charlton Athletic, aged just 10. Eventually Russo found herself at the University of North Carolina, a key point in her development, where she met future Arsenal teammates Lotte Wubbon Moy and Emily Fox.
During her time at Manchester United, the striker had a breakthrough. Laying the foundations for a successful stint, Russo scored on her debut start against Brighton in October 2020. As a lifelong United fan, Russo enjoyed an emotional ocassion when fans returned to the stands for the first time, scoring twice in a win over Everton. After scoring 11 goals in the 2021/22 season, Russo won the Man United Players’ Player of the year and further cemented her place in the England squad.
And then, for one of the most memorable moments in her football career, during the 2022 Euros semi-final against Sweden we saw the global star score with that memorable backheel. A goal which is still talked about to this day within her fanbase. The Lionesses of course went on to win the Euros, giving super-sub Russo her first taste of European glory.
Russo joined Arsenal in July 2023, following about a month of rumours due to her contract expiring that summer. Russo had been very open about the move, explaining how she felt comfortable at Leigh Sports Village, but that players are only going progress if they take new challenges and opportunities that are presented to them. Over her time with Arsenal she has proven herself to be a vital addition to the team in terms of goals, awards and overall play.
Whilst she is a number nine, Russo’s play goes far beyond that of a traditional striker. Her tactical intelligence means she can be such a weapon getting on the ball as early as possible – and this usually means outside of the box. She also has the ability to use to her body and footwork to protect the ball and win fouls in dangerous areas. Obviously being a striker comes with huge responsibility in terms of goalscoring and she does pull through on this, but has openly spoken about the pressure she faces and personal challenges.
In an interview with Versus, Russo exclaimed “I thrive being in a team” showing her passion to be able to be the team member who peers can fall back on in those pivotal moments, both through her personality off the pitch, and her willingness to shoulder that responsibility and take the ball when the pressure’s on. In this way, Russo’s dominance comes more from a consistency and reliability, rather than one-off moments.
Having won the WSL Golden Boot in 2024/25 season and helped her team by constantly racking up the goals, as we entered the 25/26 season Russo has shown a different side. While delivering less overall goals, Russo continues to be counted on when the team needs it most. During one of the most pivotal matches for Arsenal against Chelsea, she scored a last minute, 86th minute goal, then put another one in the net which was ultimately ruled out. That was a massive game not to lose, and Russo stayed hungry and scored when the late chance arose.
Off the pitch, Russo has always been passionate, like most other professionals of growing the game as much as possible and helping out the younger generation where they can. She then has recently gone on to create The Alessia Russo Foundation which is an initiative to build confidence and break down barriers for young girls chasing their dreams. The Alessia Cup, a football competition for young girls is an example of this, where she can provide mentorship to inspire and aid the growth of women’s sport and prevent girls from dropping out of playing in sports like they do at the moment.
Alessia Russo is redefining what being a striker and teammate is. Yes, you can score goals and win games for your team, but you can also do it through other means. She’s got big goals in her, she’s an all-round team player and she wants the game to be in a better place when she leaves.
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