Alessia Russo Voted Women's Player Of The Year By Football Writers

Forbes

09-05-2025

DECINES-CHARPIEU, FRANCE - APRIL 27: Alessia Russo of Arsenal celebrates scoring her team's third ... More goal during the UEFA Women's Champions League semifinal second leg match between Olympique Lyonnais and Arsenal WFC at OL Stadium on April 27, 2025 in Decines-Charpieu, France. (Photo by Alex Burstow/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Alessia Russo has been voted the Women's Footballer of Year by her country's journalists representing the Football Writers' Association (FWA) of England.
Russo is enjoying the best season of her career, helping her side reach the final of the UEFA Women's Champions League with her goal away to eight-time Champions Olympique Lyonnais last month. She is the second Arsenal player to receive the prestigious award after another forward, Vivianne Miedema in 2019.
The Arsenal striker finished ahead of last year's winner, Khadija Shaw of Manchester City. The forwards are currently tied as the two leading goalscorers in the Women's Super League this season with twelve goals each going into the last round of games tomorrow.
In third place was Mariona Caldentey, also of Arsenal, and in fourth was the Chelsea captain Millie Bright. In total, 39 different players received votes from the members of the FWA.
The FWA Men's Footballer of the Year award was first handed out in 1948 to Stanley Matthews. A women's award was created 70 years later in 2018 with Chelsea's Fran Kirby the first recipient.
Chelsea Ladies Fran Kirby poses with FWA Women's Footballer of the Year 2018 awards during the FWA ... More Footballer of the Year Dinner at The Landmark Hotel, London. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Thursday May 10, 2018. Photo credit should read: Steven Paston/PA Wire (Photo by Steven Paston/PA Images via Getty Images)
Kirby won for a second time in 2021 but, like the men's award, it has been recently been monopolised by the foreign stars in the English league with Australia's Sam Kerr winning for the next two years before the Jamaican Shaw.
Russo is therefore the first English winner of the men's or women's award in four years since Kirby. She has enjoyed the best goalscoring season of her career, finding the net 20 times in all competitions in 39 games.
She joined Arsenal on a free transfer at the end of her contract with Manchester United in 2023 saying '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.' At 26 years of age, many will feel her best years are ahead of her.
Russo has scored seven goals in the Women's Champions League this season making her the joint-second top scorer in the competition this season alongside team-mate Mariona Caldentey and behind only Clàudia Pina of Barcelona.
That total is the highest by any English player in the 24-year history of the tournament. The record was previously shared by Kirby (2020/21) and former Arsenal forward Danielle Carter (2013/14) who both scored six times in one season.
The Chair of the FWA, John Cross said 'Alessia's performances, especially in the Champions League have been the stand-out from the season. She seems to have taken a huge leap since joining Arsenal and her overall game as well as her goals make her a special player."
"We're delighted to be crowning her Women's Footballer of the Year but hope that it's not the last honour she receives this season with the Champions League Final at the end of the month.'
Elsewhere, Mo Salah of Liverpool was voted the men's Footballer of the Year by the FWA, winning the award for a record-equalling third time, with 90% of the vote, the biggest margin this century. Both players will be presented with their awards at the Footballer of the Year dinner on Thursday May 22 at the Landmark London.