Alessia Russo in Arsenal was only the sixth recipient of the Fwa Women’s Footballer of the Year Award.
The English striker enjoys the most productive campaign of her top career and jointly leads the Super League of women (WSL) for goals together with Khadija Shaw from Manchester City, who won last year’s individual prize.
Russo’s form exploded from Renee Slegers from Renee Slegers. Since the Arsenal boss was taken over by Jonas Eidevall in October, the number nine of the Gunners scored a goal every 108 minutes in all competitions.
While Arsenal saw how Chelsea raised a sixth top title one after the other, the North London Outfit has reached the Champions League final. Russo was particularly crucial in the knockout phase of the competition and scored twice in Arsenal’s breathtaking comeback quarter-finals against Real Madrid, before scoring the decisive goal in a 4-1 win to record the European Champions Lyon to book a place in the showpie against Barcelona.
Citys Shaw finished second in the vote, while Russo’s arsenal teammate Mariona Caldentey took third place in front of Chelsea’s title captain Millie Bright.
“Alessias achievements, especially in the Champions League, were outstanding from the season,” said FWA chairman John Cross. “She seems to have made a big leap since she came to Arsenal and her overall game and her goals make her a special player. We are happy to crown her women of the year, hope that it is not the last honor that she will receive this season with the Champions League final at the end of the month.”
The FWA only distributed its first award for women’s ballers of the year in 2018. The first recipient, Fran Kirby, won the award twice and corresponded to the record of her former Chelsea teammate Sam Kerr. Russo was only the second Arsenal player who won the award and entered the footsteps of Vivianne Mediema.