Female Soccer Player of the Year Candidate Alessia Russo

Years Old: 26 Position: Striker Clubs: The Gunners and England

Alessia Russo made history with her club as they became the first British team to claim victory in the Women's Champions League since the North London side did in the 2000s, and also played a key role in leading the Lionesses to the defence of their continental crown.

She scored in the European Championship final and found her groove for her club, making significant contributions all campaign long as an attacker and with her work off the ball.

Russo was honored as the FWA's top female player for the previous campaign.

Russo finished as the WSL's co-leading goalscorer, earning a share of the top scorer award with her rival striker.

She scored 12 league goals for the club and provided assists for a couple more.

She was also nominated for the prestigious individual award and named in the Professional Footballers' Association and the Uefa Champions League season's best XIs.

Russo on how she feels she has improved over the past year:

"I play my best football when I'm having fun and I know my efforts in practice and completing my tasks, so those are aspects that I can always control.

"Numerous elements to a striker's role, it requires precision and there are tiny differences. I continue to develop. We have great coaches here at Arsenal. I have great players to gain knowledge from as well. Then when the important matches come around, the more you do them, the more you get used to them."

Reflecting on England's European triumph:

"The entire competition was a complete rollercoaster. There were ups and downs. It tested us mentally. We were physically drained.

"I recall after the Sweden [quarter-final] game, many players were really, really battered and bruised. The pressure was immense. But recovery had to be swift. It moves so fast.

"I think the way that we won during the event was just determination and toughness. And I think that we knew that we had the squad, we knew that we had the necessary qualities.

"You're playing against the top sides in the world, the best players in the world and sometimes you have to grind out results."

On the Champions League final:

"The main emotion that stands out from that whole day was just being so calm, like we were confident we'd done the work, we knew that we had what it takes, and we knew that we believed in the strategy and what we wanted to do.

"Obviously playing against a team like Barcelona, you must accept not possessing the ball because they're so talented. When they do have the ball, they retain it frequently.

"We as athletes in the press and out of possession, we were really focused on our job at hand. It was a lot of running and plenty of defending. But in the end that's what got the job done. I think that you have to be OK winning games like that as well."

On Arsenal and England legend Kelly Smith being her idol:

"I got the pleasure of watching her a few times with my dad. Watching her internationally, too, her talent was remarkable. I hope that she could have played longer and she was active today, but she was one of the best ever.

"I believe those who teamed up with her would say the same thing and I didn't have the chance of doing that. But observing her play was something that I always used to love."

Alessia Russo scored 12 goals in 21 games in the WSL the previous campaign to divide the Golden Boot.

She was not just one of the deadliest players in the competition but she was also a persistent danger in the box throughout the campaign, taking more shots (73) and having a higher expected goals tally (9.7) than all her peers.

Her capability to contribute to the team outside of her goals distinguishes her.

Fellow player Mariona Caldentey often delivered forward balls into Russo, so strong hold-up play was essential.

Her skill to retreat into midfield, creating space from her opposing defender through sharp, darting movements stood out.

If a marker got too close, Russo used her physicality to draw fouls, helping her team secure the ball in the enemy territory. In the European tournament the prior year, nobody was drawn more fouls than the forward (fifteen).

When the ball does stick, Russo's touches are highly effective. Her frequent scanning of her surroundings means she stays conscious of where rivals are.

She uses few contacts on the ball, directing it away from opposing players marking closely, before finding close colleagues oriented forward.

By keeping possession in tough situations, she is regularly able to act as an outlet for her team under pressure.

She can convert tough balls into extended spells of controlled play and such phases in the opponent's final third lead to goals, several of these she ends up scoring herself.