25 Facts About Alessia Russo

Alessia Mia Teresa Russo is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for Manchester United in the Women's Super League and the England national team.

Alessia Mia Teresa Russo was born on 8 February 1999 in Maidstone, Kent, to Carol and Mario Russo.

Alessia Russo's grandfather became a fan of Manchester United and passed this on to his children and grandchildren.

Alessia Russo played for Bearsted FC Girls U10 as a child; in 2022, as part of the "Where Greatness Is Made" campaign, a plaque honouring Alessia Russo was installed at the club.

In 2006, she was a mascot for her future Manchester United manager Casey Stoney, who was captain of Charlton Athletic while Alessia Russo was at the London club's Centre of Excellence.

Alessia Russo attended the St Simon Stock Catholic School in Maidstone, where she took part in a variety of sports; as well as playing as both a midfielder and a forward in football, she undertook athletics, ran cross country, and competed in cricket and netball.

Alessia Russo approached Mark Parsons, who had been her Chelsea academy coach and was the then-manager of the Portland Thorns, for information on universities; after one visit, she knew she wanted to attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Alessia Russo played football and achieved a degree with a major in sport and exercise science at North Carolina.

Alessia Russo played county schools' football for Kent Schools FA whilst attending St Simon Stock School.

Alessia Russo made her Brighton debut on 5 February 2017 in an FA Cup third round victory against AFC Wimbledon.

Alessia Russo finished as the leading scorer on the team with nine goals as well as two assists and earned several accolades including co-ACC Freshman of the Year, ACC All-Freshman Team selection and United Soccer Coaches All-East Region first team selection.

Alessia Russo was named tournament MVP and, though having missed matches to join up with the England youth squads, ended the year with a string of personal accolades, including the university's own for best female newcomer in an athletics program.

In 2018, despite missing the postseason with a broken leg, Alessia Russo earned a United Soccer Coaches first-team All-America selection, the first Tar Heel to make the first team since Crystal Dunn in 2013, and was named ACC Offensive Player of the Year as North Carolina won the regular season title for the first time since 2008.

Alessia Russo received increased personal recognition, making national rankings, and was a semi-finalist for the Hermann Trophy, awarded to the nation's best college soccer player; she was joint team lead in scoring with six goals, and North Carolina noted her tendency to score the game-winning goals during her first two years.

In 2019, Alessia Russo returned from injury to make a career-high 24 appearances and led the team in goals, with thirteen.

Individually Alessia Russo was named first-team All-ACC for the third year in a row, ACC Tournament MVP for a second time and United Soccer Coaches first team All-American for a second time, making the Hermann Trophy semi-final list again.

On 10 September 2020, Alessia Russo signed a two-year contract with the option for a third year with Manchester United, the club she grew up supporting.

Alessia Russo was nominated for WSL Player of the Month in October 2020 with three goals and one assist in three appearances.

Alessia Russo has represented England on the under-15, under-17 and under-19, under-20 and under-21 national teams.

Alessia Russo played in under-16 matches, captaining this side for a game in November 2014.

Alessia Russo competed at the 2016 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup in Jordan and was part of the squad that finished third at the 2018 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup.

On 26 February 2020, Alessia Russo was called up to the senior England national team for the first time as part of the 2020 SheBelieves Cup squad, initially as a training player but was later added as an injury replacement for Lucy Bronze.

In June 2022, Alessia Russo was included in Sarina Wiegman's England squad for UEFA Women's Euro 2022.

Alessia Russo appeared in all six games, all as a substitute, during the campaign as England won the Euros for the first time.

Alessia Russo ended the tournament with four goals, the fourth an audacious back-heel between the legs of Sweden keeper Hedvig Lindahl in the semi-final.