Alessia Russo's journey from Maidstone to leading the Lionesses' line at Euro 2025

Alessia Russo’s emergence to the apical of the footballing satellite whitethorn look unstoppable, but adjacent football’s hottest prospects person a agelong travel to the summit.

The 26-year-old is present established arsenic England’s first-choice centre-forward, having played the relation of ace sub to perfection by scoring 4 goals from the seat successful their glorious Euro 2022 triumph.

She goes into this summer’s Euros successful Switzerland with a Women’s World Cup last nether her loop and a Women’s Champions League winner’s medal precocious worn astir her cervix aft a fantastic run with Arsenal.

Her travel has not ever followed a accepted path, though, with clip successful London, Manchester, the southbound seashore and America making her the subordinate she is today.

But 1 happening has remained the same; Russo has ever impressed wherever she has played and she has deservedly earned her spot astatine the precise apical of Sarina Wiegman’s pecking order.

Star from an aboriginal age

As a kid Russo was introduced to shot astatine a young age, going down to ticker her member play for West Farleigh, often kicking a shot astir astatine the broadside of the transportation with her dad.

And it was connected specified an juncture that her erstwhile manager astatine Bearsted FC Colin Whitfield archetypal spotted the aboriginal Lioness, with her enviable footballing endowment evident to each who saw her adjacent erstwhile she was inactive astatine superior school.

“Her member was playing successful 1 of the teams I was coaching astatine the time,” Whitfield recalled.

“I had a chat with her dad, got her progressive successful the U10 girls’ squad I was moving astatine the time. I didn’t person to bash a batch of coaching with Alessia to beryllium honest, I conscionable gave her the accidental to play and she did the rest.

“You could spot adjacent erstwhile she was 8 years aged that she had a monolithic passionateness for the crippled and it’s each she wanted to get progressive in. I’m truly pleased that she’s been capable to unrecorded her dream.”

Russo present plies her commercialized arsenic a guardant but arsenic a youngster she played successful a assortment of positions, her versatility being a cardinal crushed arsenic to wherefore - portion inactive playing astatine Bearsted - she was connected Charlton’s books from the tender property of eight.

Her clip astatine Bearsted and Charlton came to an extremity astatine U12 level erstwhile she joined the Chelsea Academy for the adjacent 5 years, and the travel since past has been a memorable one.

From the UK to the US - and back

A little spell astatine Brighton erstwhile she was 17 followed connected from her clip astatine Chelsea, but yet the agleam lights of the US came calling for her.

Always intrigued by the imaginable of assemblage football, she spent 2 years playing for North Carolina Tar Heels, with a precise acquainted roommate joining her successful that unthinkable experience.

“When the accidental to spell to the University of North Carolina astatine Chapel Hill came up aft I'd visited the school, it was excessively bully an accidental to crook down,” Russo told England Football.

“Me and Lotte Wubben-Moy being retired determination astatine the aforesaid clip was a spot by accidental and a spot planned. Lotte was besides considering going retired there.

“She was talking to different schools and wasn't sure, truthful it was a small spot much of a last-minute determination for her, successful that consciousness - whereas I had ever had my bosom acceptable connected it.

“Things went truly good for maine successful North Carolina. I won a batch of idiosyncratic awards and was portion of the All-Star Team.

“I felt similar I fitted successful truly good implicit there, and arsenic soon arsenic I got playing with the team, I felt comfortable. I was learning and improving arsenic a player, truthful erstwhile the games came around, I felt similar I could perform.”

After 2 years successful North Carolina, Russo returned to the UK and, amid the aboriginal stages of Covid and lockdown, determination was uncertainty astir her future.

Eventually she signed a two-year woody astatine Manchester United, with the enactment to widen for an other year, and it was with the Red Devils that she became the superstar she present is.

Appearances were fewer and acold betwixt to statesman with, but from the commencement of the 2021/22 play she became an integral portion of the side, making 46 league appearances during her clip there.

Her services became hugely sought aft backmost successful January, erstwhile Russo was the taxable of satellite grounds bids from Arsenal.

Those bids were rejected and she anchored her broadside to the FA Cup last and 2nd successful the WSL, qualifying for the Women’s Champions League for the archetypal time, but she did not perpetrate to a caller contract.

And, soon earlier heading Down Under for the 2023 Women’s World Cup, she yet joined the Gunners, wherever she has had an expanding power implicit the past mates of seasons

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England’s rising star

Russo is 1 of respective players who person benefited importantly from the accomplishment of Lionesses brag Wiegman.

By the extremity of 2021 she had won conscionable 2 caps successful full for her country, but the pursuing twelvemonth she played nether Wiegman 15 times – with immoderate spectacular results.

In 2022 she was mostly employed arsenic a substitute, coming disconnected the seat to exploit tired, worn-out defenders - a relation she excelled astatine successful England’s Euros triumph 3 years ago.

Russo scored her archetypal tourney extremity successful the 8-0 thrashing of Norway, and past struck doubly successful a comfy 5-0 triumph implicit Northern Ireland successful England’s last radical signifier match.

But of each her contributions successful an England garment that summer, it was her 4th extremity of the Euros against Sweden that is by acold and distant the astir memorable.

Her stunning backheel for England’s 3rd successful the 4-0 semi-final triumph was voted the extremity of the tourney and remains 1 of the astir iconic Lionesses moments - though astatine the clip she was successful information somewhat annoyed she had missed her archetypal effort astatine goal.

"I could person made it a batch easier for myself if I’d conscionable scored the archetypal one,” Russo joked connected TV afterwards.

"It fell nicely, I don’t truly retrieve excessively overmuch astir it, I conscionable thought it was the quickest way to get it successful the backmost of the nett without having to turn. And I was fortunate capable it went in.

"I didn’t truly spot it spell in, truthful I don’t cognize however it went in, but I conscionable celebrated and I enjoyed the moment."

When Russo came disconnected the seat successful the ensuing final, the people was 0-0 and the tense assemblage astatine Wembley - the biggest for immoderate Euros match, men oregon women - were waiting for thing special.

And she helped present that, England winning 2-1 implicit extra-time successful a genuinely memorable triumph.

Leaving a legacy

Women’s shot successful England had already been connected the emergence earlier the Lionesses lifted the Euros trophy, but their history-making triumph triggered a roar successful interest.

“Participation has grown astir 20 per cent since our triumph which is truly chill and makes maine happy,” added Russo, successful a pre-2023 World Cup interrogation with Dazed.

“I privation each miss to consciousness similar football’s a spot for them, whether they privation to coach, play, referee.

“There’s evidently inactive much to beryllium done and things successful the pipeline but they don’t conscionable hap overnight.”

The status of Ellen White pursuing the 2022 Euros led to Russo becoming Wiegman’s archetypal prime successful starring the Lionesses’ line, a relation she seemed to go much comfy successful arsenic the 2023 Women’s World Cup went along.

After scoring the victor successful the quarter-final against Colombia, she struck the slayer extremity that sealed a 3-1 triumph implicit co-hosts Australia successful the semis to instrumentality England into their archetypal ever World Cup final.

Sadly, Russo’s proviso enactment was chopped disconnected by a Spain squad who seldom gave up possession successful defeating the Lionesses 1-0 successful the showpiece astatine Sydney.

More European glory

Russo won her archetypal large honour astatine nine level successful her archetypal play astatine Arsenal successful the Women’s League Cup, but it was the 2024/25 run that ended up being her champion truthful far, adjacent though it had a sticky opening.

She was struggling for goals astatine the clip of brag Jonas Eidevall’s resignation, but they began to travel nether his successor, Renee Slegers, arsenic the Gunners recovered from a mediocre start.

With Russo present scoring for fun, Arsenal reached the last of the Women’s Champions League wherever Stina Blackstenius’ extremity earned a 1-0 triumph implicit Barcelona successful Lisbon.

Individual honours came her mode arsenic well, arsenic she was named the FWA Women’s Footballer of the Year and won the Women’s Champions League Golden Boot arsenic good arsenic a stock of the WSL Golden Boot.

The relation that Russo and her England team-mates person played successful inspiring a adjacent procreation and making shot much accessible for women and girls is momentous.

But portion she holds immense ambitions for the athletics disconnected it, her cognition remains arsenic it did erstwhile she was a young miss backmost successful Maidstone - contempt each her accomplishments connected the pitch.