“Soak all of it in, enjoy it and leave the tournament with no regrets. That was my motto for the Euros and I need it to be the very same for the World Cup,” Alessia Russo tells me after I ask what her gameplan is after making the England Women’s football squad competing in Australia and Latest 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 on the 2018 FIFA U20 Women‘s World Cup. However 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 used to be at Old Trafford within 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 primary time. A slew of private end-of-the-season awards followed, including Manchester United Women’s Player of the 12 months and Player of the 12 months on 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 creating football available to ladies and boys on International Women’s Day 2023. “Participation has grown almost 20 per cent since our victory which is absolutely cool and makes me comfortable,” says Russo. “I need every girl to feel like football’s a spot for them, whether or not they want to teach, play, referee.”

As an alternative of derailing Russo’s destiny to play football professionally, the stereotypes and jokes about girls playing football that plagued her early years in the game only fuel the forward’s desire for growth and improved accessibility for future generations. “I used to be a part of adidas’ recent Champion the Girls campaign, an initiative focused on motivating girls to maintain 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 within the pipeline but they don’t just occur 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 ladies’s game forward.

Are you able to share your earliest sports-related memory?

Alessia Russo: I remember joining the boy’s football team after I was 4 or five and we had a mini World Cup at my primary school. [My] team won the entire tournament and it was the very best day ever.

Are you able to define what a ‘sport’ is? 

Alessia Russo: Activities where you possibly can have a good time, exercise and play together with your friends. Football has at all times been about having fun and that’s why I got into it after I was a young girl. You learn lessons about yourself and the way you react in numerous situations.

“I need every girl to feel like football’s a spot for them, whether or not they want to teach, play, referee” – Alessia Russo

If you happen to could possibly be absolutely the GOAT at one other sport, what wouldn’t it be and why?

Alessia Russo: I really like tennis and watching Wimbledon. I just think it’s a extremely nice sport to be an element of and it’s got a pleasant culture.

Tell us about your football journey.

Alessia Russo: My grandad was an enormous Manchester United fan and he passed down this passion. I began playing for Bearsted FC Girls Under 10s but my time at Charlton Athletic’s Centre of Excellence really ignited my profession. I used to be 16 after I realised it could actually be a profession and I desired to go pro because I get to do what I really like on daily basis.

I got offered a scholarship on 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’s the explanation I wear the number 23.

I’ve at all times dreamed about going to a World Cup, the head of football. I used to be in Geology class when Phil Neville called to ask me to an England training camp [in 2020]. Someone got injured and I got promoted to a full squad player.

Are you a conventional striker?

Alessia Russo: I‘m still learning the number nine position as I‘ve only played it consistently for 2 years. Going to America helped because I could learn from their very powerful, quick transitional variety of play; it‘s more technical and tactical in England. Playing against a few of the very best centre-backs on this planet, you‘ve got to be one step ahead, strong, fast. It‘s a troublesome role but I’m calm, driven, and positive.

Favourite goal?

Alessia Russo: Against Northern Ireland within the Euros. Played in by Tooney and only a half turn and a finish. For a striker to show in tight areas and get your shot off is absolutely vital.

How is your recovery tailored to your body?

Alessia Russo: I wish to have an ice bath on matchday minus one, but quite a lot of people hate ice baths. I‘m not saying I‘ve mastered my body and take care of things, but you learn as you go and take it in your stride. I do know what makes me feel good.

Any matchday rituals or superstitions?

Alessia Russo: I take heed to the identical playlist every match day: ‘Doin‘ This’ by Luke Combs and an actual mixture of RnB, country, and rap. Then just before kickoff, I jump seven times. I don‘t know where it got here from but it surely just stuck.

Does the culture and environment differ between club and country?

Alessia Russo: Not an excessive amount of. Every player that I‘ve played with is super competitive, super driven and needs to win. Once you‘re all on the identical page, it makes things ten times easier. I‘ve been in some amazing team cultures and other people said that they may see that this past summer with the Euros. You could possibly tell how strong and connected the team was off the pitch; then when the sport comes around, you‘ll do anything for them and so they‘ll do anything for you.

How do you make yourself comfortable in football kit?

Alessia Russo: I wish 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 so long as they‘re clean.

Where do you retain your awards?

Alessia Russo: At home. Some go to my mum and pa. It moves so quickly that you just never really benefit from the moment because there‘s at all times something else coming up. You possibly can have all of the awards on this planet but to say that you just‘re a European champion, nobody will ever have the option to take that away from you. I‘ve got the ultimate shirt framed with the medal.

Dead or alive, fictional or real: which sports personality do you relate to essentially the most and why?

Alessia Russo: I really like Messi and no, it isn‘t [because of my ‘Lessi’ nickname]. What he’s achieved in his profession is incredible and he‘s among the best to have ever graced the football pitch.

Top tip for budding strikers?

Alessia Russo: Know what you do well. I really like to attain and create goals. Twice every week I practice one and two-touch ending drills for confidence and work alongside wingers on ending via their crossing. To make it more realistic, I include defenders.

If you happen to could rebuild your body using the parts of iconic sportspeople, which of them 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’s, winning obviously. I‘d wish to [score the winning goal] but so long as we win, I don‘t mind.