England star and former Manchester United forward Alessia Russo has opened up on her relationship with food and says she hit a "low point" during the pandemic that left her "not strong enough" to play football at the highest level.
The forward, who became a key figure for United over the last three years before it was announced earlier this month she will depart this summer, joined the club in September 2020. At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, during lockdown, Russo says she would track her calories on an app.
She spoke to Women's Health magazine on the struggles she faced with her weight and how that impacted her own physical health on and off the pitch.
"In lockdown, it was tough: I was training on my own, I was home and I lost quite a bit of weight," she told Women's Health. "Then I signed for Manchester United soon after lockdown. And within about six weeks, I completely tore my hamstring, [which I] could only relate back to losing a lot of weight because I’ve never had a muscle injury before.
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"I used to track everything [on an app]. I know some people still use [it], but...I was at a low point with my food and with my weight. I wasn’t strong enough; I wasn’t robust. I thought I looked great... but really, on the football pitch, I wasn’t strong enough to compete."
During her time at United, Russo rose to stardom and became a key part of the England set-up. She played a crucial role in last summer's Euro triumph and will hope to have a similar influence at the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand next month.
However, reflecting on one of the lower points in her career, Russo highlighted that difficult relationships with food may be a bigger issue among female athletes than people realise. "There’s a bit of a stigma," she continued.
"Of course, you want to compete and be the best on the pitch, but you want to look a certain way as well. As a lot of young girls [do].
"I wanted to be skinny and compete at that kind of level. [Now] my body is still a huge priority. But I understand I need to eat a lot more than I thought I did at the start, and now I don’t want to be skinny, I want to be strong. Food plays a huge part in how you feel and how your body reacts."
If you’re worried about your own or someone else’s health, you can contact Beat, the UK’s eating disorder charity, on 0808 801 0677 or beateatingdisorders.org.uk.
