Alessia Russo is happy and it shows. The 27-year-old is playing some of the best football of her career for Arsenal and England. She has 15 goals and six assists in 29 games for her club this season, is the leading scorer in the Champions League before the first leg of the quarter-final against Chelsea on Tuesday, and has four goals in six games for England since her equaliser in the Euro 2025 final.
“Whenever you’re happy in life and in your club environment, it breathes on to the pitch,” she says. “I do feel in a really good place. I feel super calm and I’m just enjoying my football.
“I’m staying quite present this year, which is something I’ve tried to do a lot over the last couple of years, making sure I just enjoy the here and now and focus on each moment. That helps me stay locked in on one thing at a time.”
Compartmentalising each moment is not easy, she has come to realise. “I’ve probably only got used to it over the last couple of years at 26 and 27,” Russo says. “Before that things were just 100 miles an hour and you can get carried away and think too far ahead. I’ve found that does not help me at all, so staying super-present and really locked in on the moment is something that helps me get the best out of myself on the pitch.”
The 5-0 win against West Ham on Saturday was the first of three London derbies at the Emirates Stadium in what she calls an “ideal week of football” – with the European game against Chelsea on Tuesday followed by a league match against Tottenham four days later.
Russo scored the second against the Hammers in her 101st appearance for Arsenal, who are 11 points behind the leaders Manchester City, three behind Manchester United and two behind third-placed Chelsea – but with two games in hand.
City’s WSL lead is probably unassailable, but with the Gunners in the quarter-finals of the Champions League and FA Cup, there is still silverware to be won.
Having lifted the Champions League trophy last season, maintaining their status as “the only in the land” to have tasted European glory, 18 years after their first win, she says: “Maybe the pressure isn’t as intense, but for us and the standards that we set ourselves there’s a different kind of pressure. The difference is that we know we’ve got what it takes, but we also know how amazing it feels to win and we want that feeling over and over again.”
Overcoming Chelsea across two legs will be far from easy, and making a strong start at the Emirates Stadium is “super important”, Russo says. In tight games against top opposition no chance can be wasted. Learning to deal with that pressure can take time. “It’s another thing I’ve got better at as I’ve got older,” Russo says.
“When I was younger I used to lash at a lot of things. You’re prepared and aware you only get a few moments in most games now, you probably only get around three big chances as a front three or front four. We’re aware of that in the team and lots of our messaging is about making moments matter.”
What if you fail to make a moment matter? How do you stop negativity from creeping in? “When I played at United with Tobin [Heath] and Christen [Press], one thing I took from them is that whenever we would miss a big chance, they were always so positive. I’ve tried to take that forward with me now. They were like: ‘That’s amazing. We’re doing something right because we’re getting these chances. So let’s keep going and build momentum.’
“Looking at the game and things in that way works for me because I’m quite a positive person. No one wants to miss a chance, but you’re building the right chances, you’re getting in the right spaces, and it’s just about making sure that we do it over and over again. When I do something I know wasn’t good enough, I want another moment to put it right.”
Russo is getting a lot right on the pitch at the moment. Frequently playing a deeper role for her club has led to people noticing the strengths she brings in addition to goals and assists. “It’s really nice that it’s maybe being recognised from the outside, but as long as it’s recognised by my teammates and the staff, then I’m happy. They’re the opinions that matter the most to me.”
Quick GuideBompastor denies Chelsea crisis
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Chelsea and Arsenal battle injuries before WCL clash
Sonia Bompastor has dismissed any suggestion that her side were in crisis after only eight outfield Chelsea players took part in open training before their Champions League quarter-final first leg against Arsenal at the Emirates.
“No, this is not a crisis,” said the manager. “This is what it is when you are Chelsea, sometimes in the season you find yourself in moments where you have to deal with the players available and I’m very much aware of that and my job, the staff’s job, and even the players, is focusing on what we can control.”
Responding to a question about the number of outfield players in training, the 45-year-old was in a playful mood. “Are we playing in the World 7s tomorrow evening? That’s why I felt only eight players were enough,” she jested. “We are aware, we are playing a big game, it’s the Champions League quarter-final. But, when you are playing a lot of games and having quick turnarounds, a lot of players are doing individual programmes. Everything is under control and we will have enough players to play the game tomorrow, don’t worry.”
Among those potentially missing out is Aggie Beever-Jones, who has been in and out of the side with injuries in recent months and came off during their 1-1 draw with London City Lionesses at the weekend with an ankle injury. Bompastor said the forward was assessed today and will be assessed again ahead of a decision on her availability for Tuesday night’s game.
Meanwhile, the Australian duo Sam Kerr and Ellie Carpenter have returned to England following their defeat to Japan in the Asian Cup final, but will not be available to boost the Blues’ depleted numbers, with Bompastor saying it was “too high risk”.
Arsenal will similarly be without their Australian players, Kyra Cooney-Cross, Caitlin Foord and Steph Catley.
Manager Renée Slegers also confirmed that Tuesday night will be too soon for the England captain Leah Williamson (pictured), who missed Saturday’s 5-0 defeat of West Ham with a calf injury. “She’s progressing well, but it’s too early,” said the manager. Suzanne Wrack
Russo does not care where she plays but has benefited from “seeing the game through different lenses” as it has built up an understanding of what each role needs from another.
When you watch her play, it also seems clear she finds real joy in work in addition to goals and assists, in or out of possession. “I’ll never say that anything beats scoring, but I do enjoy the dirty stuff and the hard graft,” she says. “I’ve always been quite a hard-working player. When you have to incorporate that in your game I do enjoy it, I enjoy when things get tough.”
Russo’s family are there to watch whether things are plain sailing or tough. They are very tight-knit, with brothers Georgio and Luca (who is also her agent) and parents Mario and Carol at most games. Mario has not missed a single one.
Being able to reward that support with moments such as the Champions League win, or the Euros triumphs in 2022 and 2025, is everything. She has two photos of her dad where she can “just tell he’s buzzing”, the first is in his first Arsenal shirt when she signed for the club, the second is at the 2022 European Championship with the medal around his neck.
“How they have raised me is something that I carry with me all the time and is probably something I don’t talk about that much,” Russo says. “They’re a massive part of what motivates me. I’m motivated by winning, but I’m also motivated by making the people around me proud and that’s my family and my teammates. That’s something that brings out the best in me.”
The new addition of her niece, who was born the day before the Champions League final in Lisbon last year, on 23 May [Russo wears 23 on her shirt] has added another motivation. Being an aunt is “the best”, she says. “She’s just the light of our family now. She’s just amazing. I didn’t know how much I’d love it until it happened.
“Kids just make everything better. Whether I’ve had a good or bad game, I go into the family room and she’s there. She doesn’t care, she’s away with the fairies playing with her toys.”
Another thing to keep her grounded is the launch of The Alessia Russo Foundation, that aims to champion girls’ participation in sports, empower young women and elevate women’s health. At this critical time of her career, dedicating time to those things is important to her.
“I feel grateful that I play for Arsenal, one of the best clubs in the world, and for England, one of the best national teams in the world,” she says. “I’ve got this platform, people know me, and while I’m fortunate enough to have that I want to do something as meaningful as possible with it when it will have the biggest impact.
“Something I’m really passionate about is helping young girls, whether in football or life in general. I was so lucky growing up with a really supportive family and a great passion for football, but not many people are fortunate enough to have those things. I would just hate it if we miss out on talented women, not only in football but in every aspect of society, because they didn’t know where to start or have that support.”
That fire to give back runs through her teammates. “We have so many talented people in our club teams and national teams, look at what Ella [Toone’s] doing with her academy or what LJ [Lauren James] is doing with her scholarship. There’s so much opportunity to be able to have an impact and I would regret it in 10 years’ time if I hadn’t done anything to try and help.”
Aside from the three Fs – family, friends and the foundation – Russo unwinds with films, TV shows, books – Freida McFadden’s thrillers are her current go-tos – and football. “It’s different enough because it’s not my football,” she says of watching Arsenal men. “I’m watching them all. I wish I was able to get to the Emirates [Stadium] more but with our schedule I’m at home watching most of them.
“We have friends in the men’s side and there’s lots of good feelings between us, the players and the staff. We see a lot of them.”
What would it mean to see both teams win silverware this season? “That would be sick, a nice trophy parade,” she says, with a grin, before getting serious: “The men’s and women’s teams would say we’ve got to perform now. We’re fortunate enough to still be in lots of competitions and pushing for lots of things, but it means nothing if we don’t go out and perform on the pitch. It would be amazing, but we’ve got to keep winning.”
