The 24-year-old forward opens up about her matchday rituals, her admiration for Lionel Messi, and the best goal she’s ever scored
“Soak it all in, enjoy it and leave the tournament with no regrets. That was my motto for the Euros and I want it to be the exact same for the World Cup,” Alessia Russo tells me when I ask what her gameplan is after making the England Women’s football squad competing in Australia and New Zealand this summer. The 24-year-old is being driven to a photoshoot as we speak, on the day that her emotional departure from Manchester United is confirmed.
Growing up in a ‘football-crazy’ Sicilian family in Kent, Russo spent summers in Italy playing football on the beach. Cutting her teeth at Charlton, Chelsea, Brighton & Hove Albion, and North Carolina Tar Heels like fellow Lionesses Lucy Bronze and Lotte Wubben-Moy, Russo also won a bronze medal at the 2018 FIFA U20 Women‘s World Cup. But the 24-year-old’s meteoric rise to stardom really accelerated while she was at Manchester United, where she scored 26 goals in 59 appearances and helped the team finish second in a scintillating 2022/23 Women’s Super League season (it’s obvious how Russo got her ‘Lessi’ nickname, after Argentinian GOAT Lionel Messi). I was at Old Trafford in the record crowd that witnessed a two-goal Russo masterclass as United beat Everton 3-1 playing at their men’s team’s stadium for the first time. A slew of personal end-of-the-season awards followed, including Manchester United Women’s Player of the Year and Player of the Year at the first-ever Women’s Football Awards.
The trailblazing Lionesses squad that Russo first broke into in 2020 powerfully paid their Euros success forward and cemented their monumental legacy by writing an open letter that spurred the UK government to publicly commit to making football available to girls and boys on International Women's Day 2023. “Participation has grown almost 20 per cent since our victory which is really cool and makes me happy,” says Russo. “I want every girl to feel like football’s a place for them, whether they want to coach, play, referee.”
Instead of derailing Russo’s destiny to play football professionally, the stereotypes and jokes about girls playing football that plagued her early years in the sport only fuel the forward’s desire for growth and improved accessibility for future generations. “I was part of adidas’ recent Champion the Girls campaign, an initiative focused on motivating girls to keep playing football and urging adults to recognise their vital role in supporting them,” she shares. “There’s obviously still more to be done and things in the pipeline but they don’t just happen overnight.”
We spoke to Russo about her go-to drills, emulating Michael Jordan and her dream World Cup scenario (potentially a reality this summer) as she keeps winning by example to push the women’s game forward.
Can you share your earliest sports-related memory?
Alessia Russo: I remember joining the boy’s football team when I was four or five and we had a mini World Cup at my primary school. [My] team won the whole tournament and it was the best day ever.
Can you define what a ‘sport’ is?
Alessia Russo: Activities where you can have fun, exercise and play with your friends. Football has always been about having fun and that’s why I got into it when I was a young girl. You learn lessons about yourself and how you react in different situations.
“I want every girl to feel like football’s a place for them, whether they want to coach, play, referee” – Alessia Russo
If you could be the absolute GOAT at another sport, what would it be and why?
Alessia Russo: I love tennis and watching Wimbledon. I just think it’s a really nice sport to be a part of and it’s got a nice culture.
Tell us about your football journey.
Alessia Russo: My grandad was a huge Manchester United fan and he passed down this passion. I started playing for Bearsted FC Girls Under 10s but my time at Charlton Athletic’s Centre of Excellence really ignited my career. I was 16 when I realised it could actually be a career and I wanted to go pro because I get to do what I love every day.
I got offered a scholarship at the University of North Carolina where the renowned coach helped develop top USWNT players Tobin Heath and Crystal Dunn. Amazing campus, incredible college athlete lifestyle, and Michael Jordan also attended UNC – he is the reason I wear the number 23.
I’ve always dreamed about going to a World Cup, the pinnacle of football. I was in Geology class when Phil Neville called to invite me to an England training camp [in 2020]. Someone got injured and I got promoted to a full squad player.
Are you a traditional striker?
Alessia Russo: I‘m still learning the number nine position as I‘ve only played it consistently for two years. Going to America helped because I could learn from their very powerful, quick transitional style of play; it‘s more technical and tactical in England. Playing against some of the best centre-backs in the world, you‘ve got to be one step ahead, strong, fast. It‘s a tough role but I’m calm, driven, and positive.
Favourite goal?
Alessia Russo: Against Northern Ireland in the Euros. Played in by Tooney and just a half turn and a finish. For a striker to turn in tight areas and get your shot off is really important.
How is your recovery tailored to your body?
Alessia Russo: I like to have an ice bath on matchday minus one, but a lot of people hate ice baths. I‘m not saying I‘ve mastered my body and how to deal with things, but you learn as you go and take it in your stride. I know what makes me feel good.
Any matchday rituals or superstitions?
Alessia Russo: I listen to the same playlist every match day: ‘Doin‘ This’ by Luke Combs and a real mix of RnB, country, and rap. Then just before kickoff, I jump seven times. I don‘t know where it came from but it just stuck.
Does the culture and environment differ between club and country?
Alessia Russo: Not too much. Every player that I‘ve played with is super competitive, super driven and wants to win. When you‘re all on the same page, it makes things ten times easier. I‘ve been in some amazing team cultures and people said that they could see that this past summer with the Euros. You could tell how strong and connected the team was off the pitch; then when the game comes around, you‘ll do anything for them and they‘ll do anything for you.
How do you make yourself comfortable in football kit?
Alessia Russo: I like to have my shirt quite oversized to feel relaxed on the pitch. I wear small shin pads and I‘m not too picky about my boots as long as they‘re clean.
Where do you keep your awards?
Alessia Russo: At home. Some go to my mum and dad. It moves so quickly that you never really enjoy the moment because there‘s always something else coming up. You can have all the awards in the world but to say that you‘re a European champion, no one will ever be able to take that away from you. I‘ve got the final shirt framed with the medal.
Dead or alive, fictional or real: which sports personality do you relate to the most and why?
Alessia Russo: I love Messi and no, it isn‘t [because of my ‘Lessi’ nickname]. What he’s achieved in his career is incredible and he‘s one of the best to have ever graced the football pitch.
Top tip for budding strikers?
Alessia Russo: Know what you do well. I love to score and create goals. Twice a week I practice one and two-touch finishing drills for confidence and work alongside wingers on finishing via their crossing. To make it more realistic, I include defenders.
If you could rebuild your body using the parts of iconic sportspeople, which ones would you go for and why?
Alessia Russo: Messi‘s feet, because they‘re a joke.
Describe your dream football match?
Alessia Russo: A World Cup final. I don‘t care who it‘s against, it doesn‘t matter where it is, winning obviously. I‘d like to [score the winning goal] but as long as we win, I don‘t mind.