She is best known for that sensational back-heel goal in England’s Euro semi-final victory over Sweden, a finish so spectacular that it earned her Goal of the Tournament and was nominated for the 2022 FIFA Puskas Award.
And now, Alessia Russo is making history yet again.
After months of speculation, the 24-year-old has been confirmed as Arsenal’s third signing of the summer, which could see her become the highest-ever paid player in the Women’s Super League.
The England forward completed the move from Manchester United, her childhood club, at the end of last month, with a world-record £500,000 bid, after the two teams battled against each other at the top of the Women’s Super League table.
"I’m really excited to be here and I can’t wait to get going," Russo said after the news broke. "I want to win trophies, as does everyone in this club. I can’t wait to get stuck in and grow as a player - it’s a new challenge and a new environment."
While she had interest from clubs at home and abroad, Russo’s move to north London always looked the most likely. And it will certainly be a blow for United. Having signed for the club in September 2020, Russo went on to become their top-scorer, netting 27 goals in 59 games in all competitions over three seasons, and was named the club’s women’s player of the year.
It was that legendary England goal – and her superb form throughout the Euros — that truly propelled Russo to stardom, and she has been one of the most-talked about names in the Women’s Super League ever since.
Sporting genes: a United family through and through
Though nobody’s fate is ever set in stone, looking at her family it’s difficult to see how Russo could have become anything other than a footballer.
Born and raised in Maidstone, Kent, Russo comes from a long line of both sports fanatics and players. Her grandfather became a fan of Manchester United after moving to the UK from Sicily, and passed this on to his children and grandchildren. Russo’s father, Mario, himself played non-league football for Metropolitan Police F.C. and is their top goalscorer of all time and has said that his daughter had “no option” but to play football.
“It was a non-negotiable,” he said.
Her younger brother, Giorgio, also played non-league football for a few teams, while their other brother, Luca, went to the University of Missouri on a track and field scholarship and also represented England under-20s in cross country.
As a child, Russo played for Bearsted FC Girls U10. Finding it too easy, she eventually stepped up to play for the youth boys’ team, where Mario recalled getting “really strange looks” from other parents when she first arrived.
“They couldn’t believe this young girl had the front to train with their superstar boys,” he told The Times last year.
She began her professional career at Charlton Athletic’s Centre of Excellence. In a moment of pure serendipty, on her day as a mascot, Russo walked out of the tunnel hand-in-hand with Casey Stoney. Stoney would later become Manchester United manager and sign her for the club she had supported since childhood.
Russo stayed with Charlton from 2007–2010, before joining and captaining Chelsea’s development squad in 2016. The following year, she joined newly-promoted WSL 2 side Brighton & Hove Albion.
‘I came back with a degree’ – joining United without sacrificing her education
When the time came for Russo to decide whether she wanted to go to university, she could have opted to turn pro there and then, as many of her age group have done.
But Russo refused to sacrifice her education. At the time, Chelsea offered her an option that would have involved several hours’ travel between school and training. But, feeling that this wouldn’t be manageable, she opted instead to go into the American collegiate system, where her brother Luca had already experienced a combined athletic-academic programme.
After one visit, she knew she wanted to attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, majoring in sports science and exercise. Her England teammate Lotte Wubben-Moy joined her, and the pair were roommates in their first year.
On 10 September 2020, while still at university, ten years of hard work culminated in the moment Russo had been waiting all her life for. She signed a two-year contract with the option for a third year with Manchester United, her childhood club, and made her debut three days later as a half-time substitute in a 5–2 league victory over Birmingham City.
“If I ever picture myself as a little girl,” she wrote in her leaving letter to the fans last month, “I’m wearing a United shirt with a ball glued to my feet. If someone told that little girl she’d represent the club one day, create so many memories and score at Old Trafford, I can’t imagine how she’d contain the excitement.”
Russo’s first call upon getting the news was to her parents, Mario and Carol, back in Kent, whom she credits for her sporting success.
“I’m a huge family-orientated person,” she said least year. “All through the youth age groups my dad never missed a game. Everything I do is to try and make my family proud. They’ve supported me so much and I wouldn’t be where I am without them.”
When the pandemic hit, the then 21-year-old Russo returned home to continue her studies remotely while also playing in the top flight of the Women’s Super League with United.
“America was great, I really enjoyed it,” she told the Telegraph. “I learnt a lot and a completely different style of football.
“The experiences I had in America were unbelievable,” she explained. “And I came back with a degree so I would never go back on that. I think it was really valuable and the right decision at that time in my career. But, yeah, the WSL is really exciting and young players coming up in their clubs will be tempted to stay [in England].”
‘I wasn’t strong enough to compete’ — opening up about her body image struggles
Last month, Russo opened up about her experience struggling with her mental health during the pandemic, and the body image pressures that particularly female athletes face.
Discussing her struggles after losing weight, she told Women’s Health: “In lockdown, it was tough. I was training on my own, I was home and I lost quite a bit of weight. Then I signed for Man 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. I wanted to make sure I hit [my numbers] really, but it was also about really low calories.
She shared that she became fixated on tracking her calories and macros on an app during the lockdown, where her relationship with food and her body hit a low.
“So [my diet] was high [in] protein but I was sacrificing all the carbs and the fats... and then that would be my calories for the day. 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.”
Bestie goals — her lifelong friendship with teammate Ella Toone
“Not many best friends can say they’ve won the Euros together.”
So said Ella Toone, Russo’s fellow Lioness, former United teammate, and childhood best friend in an interview with GQ last year. The pair have been best friends for over 10 years, sharing the same club, training together, and even living together for a while, and have quickly become frienship goals among their fans.
However, they didn’t necessarily get off to the best start. “I remember I was like ‘Oh Alessia seems dead cool, I want to be Alessia’s friend’”, Toone said in a joint interview last year. “And she didn’t want to be my friend basically.”
But since their rocky beginning, the duo have been joined at the hip, playing together for United for the past three years.
“There are so many highs and lows in football and to have a constant in your best friend throughout that is really nice. We’ve seen each other at our best and worst,” Russo told GQ.
“We’ve had the highest of highs last summer winning the Euros together, and had some tough points too, but that just makes the friendship stronger. We’ve been friends since we were 12 or 13, and we’ll be friends forever.”
“In football, people move on, but you have friends in football that you have for life,” Toone agreed. “They’re very special because they understand the journey and they know what it takes to get to the top. To have Less by my side since we were young girls has been really nice and hopefully we can keep making lots more memories – and keep winning trophies.”
Hours after Russo’s United departure was announced, Toone posted an emotional goodbye on her personal TikTok, telling her best friend how much she will miss her.
“Away from football, I just wanted to say best of luck to my best friend Alessia, moving clubs. I’m really proud of you and hope you smash it, I’m definitely going to miss you and spending time with you every single day.
“But I know you’ll be great and I know we’ll be friends forever. Love ya, miss ya and enjoy it.”
Adidas, Gucci, Beats — the impact of the Euros’ success
While her national success had aleady built her a following among the WSL’s more hardcore fanbase, it was Russo’s performance on the international stage which solidified her as a household name.
In June 2022, Russo was included in Sarina Wiegman‘s England squad for UEFA Women’s Euro 2022. She appeared in all six games, all as a substitute, during the campaign as England won the Euros for the first time. And it is that now legendary backheel in the semi-final at Bramall Lane against Sweden, which earned her Goal of the Tournament, which everyone still wants to talk about.
“Would I ever consider insuring my backheel?,” she said in an interview with Women’s Health earlier this year. “I’m not sure because it’s only ever come out once, But if it happens twice – maybe I’ll think about it. But it was a moment of instinct. I’m not sure we’ll see it in the future, but we’ll see.”
The Russo brand has since skyrocketed, and she is one of a growing number of Lionesses with huge endorsements. This season alone, the forward has appeared in campaigns for Adidas and Gucci, had a paid deal with PlayStation and has featured on the cover of Women’s Health magazine. She is also a brand ambassador for Beats and recently signed a deal with Oakley sunglasses this month.
With the World Cup kicking off in just under two weeks, and England arriving as champions of Europe, Russo and the team are carrying a heavy the weight of expectation. Since their first final warm-up game on home ground against Portugal last Saturday, Russo had been at home with her family and friends before leaving for Australia on Wednesday.
“For an athlete, the World Cup is the pinnacle,” Russo told Women’s Health. “I’d just like to [have] the same kind of energy that we had at the Euros, be positive, relax and just enjoy every second of it.”
