Euros backheel and vineyard dreams – Russo in her own words

The biggest names in sport and entertainment join host Kelly Somers for provocative and in-depth discussions about their favorite sport on the new series The Football Interview.

We’ll explore mindset and motivation, and talk about defining moments, career highs and personal reflections. The player behind the player is revealed in the football interview.

Alessia Russo has risen to global prominence with her performances for club and country in recent years.

The forward was a member of Arsenal’s Champions League-winning squad earlier this year and has twice won the European Championship with England.

Russo scored four goals – all from the bench – during the Lionesses ‘ successful Euro 2022 campaign, then started every game three years later as they retained their title in Switzerland.

Her final goal against Spain forced extra time, but Sarina Wiegman’s side escaped the world champions with a stunning penalty shootout victory.

Alessia Russo: Football has always been everything to me. I always wanted to play football. My passion has always been football. Love and just enjoyment are the first words that come to mind when one thinks of passion. I have so much fun out on the pitch. Football has always meant to me that I was introduced to the game and the game from an early age, even though things are much more serious these days.

Kelly: Are you still able to keep that same love and childish enjoyment now? Has it changed as you have gained more success?

Alessia: I try to. I always say I play my best football when I’m enjoying it and in a good mood mentally because it’s so intense and there is so much on the line constantly. I try to keep as much of that love for the game when I was a kid into the game now. In the end, that is why I started and why I’m so happy and grateful to be able to do it now.

Kelly: What is your first memory of playing?

Alessia: I used to play with my two older brothers frequently in the garden. My dad coached their team so I used to go down to the local park with them and try to get involved. I had to give them a little time because they were older than me and playing all-boys. I was just kicking the ball around on the side, then I was eventually allowed to join in. I’m so grateful that my parents never questioned my ability to play football because I come from such a sporty family. Ever since I was a little kid they were buying me football boots and I think I lived in football kits as a kid. Although my mother never thought football wasn’t a place for girls, which is amazing for me and makes me feel so fortunate to be a member of the family I have, my mother always smiled when I occasionally requested a few dresses.

Kelly: What are your early memories of playing? Do you recall the other boys and girls?

Alessia: Originally it was just boys.

Kelly, who was the other girl?

Alessia: It was probably after I played at West Farleigh. I attended Bearsted, which also had an all-girls team, and that was also an all-boys team. I played with the boys on the Saturday and the girls on the Sunday. I had a positive feeling that my coach had for me. He was still very harsh on me and wanted me to be training harder and playing harder, but I had a feeling he thought I could go somewhere. My secondary school teachers really encouraged me and accepted me into county teams and academy trials. It was honestly the belief of other people before myself.

Kelly, do you recall any of those academy trials, or perhaps those that didn’t go as smoothly as you had hoped?

Alessia: I had to trial at Charlton. I had one of the best sessions of my life during that extremely positive trial. After that, the coach spoke to my dad and said they would like to offer me a place in the academy, and Dad told me on the way home, which was really nice.

Kelly, were you a fan of Charlton’s women’s team when you were younger?

Yes, Alessia. Because Casey Stoney once served as the academy’s captain, I once served as her mascot. I remember being in the tunnel thinking, ‘ wow, this is amazing’. It is amazing how far the game has developed if you look at the stadiums we play in and the number of fans we have today. When you see these women at the top of their game, it does inspire you to want to go and do it. You can now see the ladies playing on TV, on TikTok, or anywhere else, though I was fortunate that Dad took me to stadiums to see them play. That is great because young girls can have role models that they can feel and see their journey.

Kelly, if I had to name one person who had the biggest impact on your career and had contributed to your progress, I would ask for…

Alessia: I remember when I spent three years of college in America. I was very much a home bird. I used to detest going to sleepovers with my friends because I simply wanted to spend time with my family. That was a big decision for me to go out there and live in North Carolina – the other side of the world – and play football in a surrounding I have never known. The best three years of my life can be compared to the difficult decision that was made. I learned so much about myself. I was on the other side of the world when I decided to move out, so I needed to grow up quickly. The only person I knew there was Lotte]Wubben-Moy], who is with me now]at Arsenal], so it’s nice to reminisce with her. I had a personal transformation during those three years. I understood a bit more about myself and my body and I went through my first injury out there. Football does seem like it, but it’s not everything, as I’ve learned. I found joy in other things and made friends for life.

Kelly, when did you first meet Lotte?

Alessia: I’ve known Lotte since I was about 12 or 13 through England youth camps. In the academy, she attended Arsenal, and I attended Chelsea and Charlton. She is like the big sister to everyone – she knows what to do in stressful situations and handles things so smoothly.

Kelly, everyone who knows you has a close relationship with Ella Toone is aware of how she sounds. So you have two very different friends when you are away with England and in football in general?

Alessia: Yes indeed. Lotte is like my big sister, or more like my mum. Tooney is more like my younger sister, which you have to look after and make you laugh. Lotte is always looking after everyone else.

Kelly, how did it feel to graduate from college?

Alessia: I came back and signed for Manchester United.

Kelly, you were a United fan when you were a child.

Alessia: I was. Never did I anticipate their interest in me as a young college student. It was a whole new world of being a full-time athlete. My journey involved both those years in college and at United.

Kelly: You went full circle with Casey Stoney because she was the manager that signed you at United?

Alessia: The 2023 World Cup final against Spain. Knowing how painful it must have been to be so close to the World Cup while also being so distant after winning the Euros, it hurts a lot. It left a hole in us as a team, but the way we bounced back in the Euros maybe wouldn’t have happened if we won. I believe there is a reason why everything happens.

Kelly: If you could relive one match and the outcome stayed the same, what would it be?

Alessia, I’m referring to the Euro 2022 final. That whole year and that tournament, and the impact that changed after that win was something we could never have imagined. I’ll always be a fan of women’s football after winning that tournament in England and then witnessing the change, the expansion, the growth, the growth, the growth, and the success of that campaign. The impact we had in that tournament… every player in that squad will tell you it was more than we ever imagined and we were just in our little bubble. It’s a topic that both of us discuss frequently. Going from nobody really knowing us, to pretty much overnight you are this England footballer that suddenly has won the Euros and the paparazzi are after you and you are getting these amazing opportunities that you would never have imagined pre-tournament. That tournament completely altered our lives for both of us.

Kelly: Ellen White was still playing and you went into Euro 2022 probably knowing you weren’t going to start, and then scored a goal that was up for the Puskas award, you win the Euros and you score goals that changed the course of England’s tournament…

Alessia, I merely wanted to enjoy every moment. I heard from a lot of the older girls that it is really intense and tough and you are away from home and there are good times and bad times throughout the tournament. I merely wanted to enjoy each day. I knew I wasn’t going to be involved that much, especially in the starting XI. I only wanted to work out really hard and be prepared for anything.

Kelly: How many times have you watched the semi-final backheel against Sweden back?

Alessia: Not really for very long. It is funny because I am not really a skilful player, I more knock it and run. I’m not a skilled player like Chloe Kelly is. That moment was just so instinctive.

Kelly, you are incredibly devout, but to say you aren’t a skilled player is a strange statement. You won the Euros twice.

Alessia: Some step-over players have very technical techniques.

Kelly: All you care about is scoring?

Giorgio and Alessia visited Love Island this year. At first it was weird – I couldn’t watch it. Because I had to watch it on my own while we were away at the Euros, I couldn’t watch it in a large group. Me and Tooney went and watched it every night, just us two. He did really well, and he is a wonderful person. That is all you can ask for as a sister. My other brother, who is actually my agent, plays football. They have always been a massive part of me as a person, my journey. I value their viewpoints. I talk football with them not as much as they want me to, but they are involved in the whole journey of me as a player and I always want to try to make them proud.

Kelly, your father was a police officer; did he have a strict upbringing?

Alessia: I always say to him as he gets older, he gets so much softer. He is now a big softie, but he used to be strict when I was younger.

Kelly: He sends you a message before and after games. What says he?

Alessia: He sends me a message before every game and it’s a long text that has the date of the game, who we are playing and a few key things he thinks I have been working on or that I have been doing well. He will send me a quote or something after sending me a brief but effective motivational message. It’s the police officer in him – he has to be organised.

Kelly: And what does he mean when you say goodbye to him?

Alessia: He always says “BTB”, which means “be the best” you can be in whatever you can do.

Kelly, what would you like to accomplish if you could only accomplish one thing in your life or career?

Alessia: That is such a hard question. The first thing that comes to mind is winning the World Cup.

Kelly: You are still so young – do you think beyond football?