Alessia Russo is an English footballer born in 1999, known for her role as a forward.
She plays for Arsenal W.F.C. and the England national team, having previously played for the North Carolina Tar Heels.
Russo began playing football at the age of six and was honored with a plaque at her childhood club in 2022.
Biography
Early Life
Alessia Mia Teresa Russo was born in 1999 in Maidstone, Kent, into a family with a rich athletic background. Her father, Mario, played non-league football for the Metropolitan Police and is their record goalscorer, while her brother Giorgio has also played non-league football and appeared on the reality show Love Island. Russo's Sicilian grandfather, who moved to England in the 1950s, instilled a passion for Manchester United in the family. Starting competitive football at the age of six, Russo played for West Farleigh Sports Club and later for Bearsted Girls U10. In 2022, a plaque honoring her was installed at Bearsted, celebrating her contributions to the club.
Career
Russo's football journey took her to the United States in 2017, where she joined the North Carolina Tar Heels. As a freshman, she made a significant impact, leading her team in scoring and earning multiple accolades, including co-ACC Freshman of the Year. Despite a broken leg in 2018, she continued to shine, earning first-team All-America honors and being a semi-finalist for the Hermann Trophy. After her college career, Russo returned to England, playing for clubs like Chelsea, Brighton & Hove Albion, and Manchester United, where she became a key player. In 2023, she signed with Arsenal W.F.C.
International Career
On the international stage, Russo has represented England at various youth levels, showcasing her talent by finishing as a top scorer in multiple tournaments. She made her senior debut in 2020 and scored a historic hat-trick in a record 20-0 victory over Latvia in 2021, marking the fastest hat-trick by any England player. Russo was also part of the squad for the UEFA Women's Euro 2022, further solidifying her status as a prominent figure in women's football.
Collected from open sources (3) · facts link to sources · AI-processed
Gallery
Career & Clubs
College
Club
As of match played 6 September 2026.
International
Statistics accurate as of match played 9 June 2026.
As of match played 18 April 2026 Scores and results list England's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Russo goal.
Youth
Russo has represented England on the under-15, under-17 and under-19, under-20, and under-21 national teams. She also played in under-16 matches, captaining this side for a game in November 2014. In October 2015, she scored five goals against Croatia during a 13–0 2016 UEFA Under-17 Championship qualification win before scoring a hat-trick against Estonia in the following game. Russo finished joint top-scorer in qualifying with 9 goals and then again at 2016 UEFA Under-17 Championship, scoring 5 goals including a brace against Germany in a 4–3 semi-final defeat as England finished third. She competed at the 2016 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Jordan and was part of the squad that finished third at the 2018 FIFA U-20 World Cup.
Senior
On 26 February 2020, 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. She made her senior international debut on 11 March 2020 in the final game of the tournament, appearing as a 76th-minute substitute for Toni Duggan in a 1–0 defeat to Spain. On 30 November 2021, she scored her first international goals, a hat-trick in a national record 20–0 victory over Latvia during 2023 World Cup qualifying. Timed at 11 minutes, the hat-trick was the fastest by any England player in history.
In June 2022, Russo was included in Sarina Wiegman's England squad for UEFA Women's Euro…
Youth career and Chelsea
Russo played county schools' football for Kent Schools FA whilst attending St Simon Stock School. She began her career at Charlton Athletic's Centre of Excellence, staying with them from 2007 to 2010, before joining and captaining Chelsea's development squad. Her first and only senior appearance with Chelsea came during the first round of the FA WSL Continental Cup on 2 July 2016.
Brighton & Hove Albion, 2017
In January 2017, Russo joined newly promoted WSL 2 side Brighton & Hove Albion ahead of the 2017 FA WSL 2 Spring Series. She made her Brighton debut on 5 February 2017 in an FA Cup third round victory against AFC Wimbledon. On 11 February, Russo scored Brighton's first ever goal at WSL level in the team's Spring Series opener, a 1–1 draw with London Bees.
Manchester United
2020–21
On 10 September 2020, Russo signed a two-year contract with the option for a third year with Manchester United, the club she grew up supporting. She made her debut three days later as a half-time substitute in a 5–2 league victory over Birmingham City, registering an assist. She scored her first goal for the club in the following game, starting in a 3–0 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion. Russo was nominated for WSL Player of the Month in October 2020 with three goals and one assist in three appearances. However, she would miss the rest of the 2020–21 season after tearing her hamstring during training.
2021–22
In…
North Carolina Tar Heels
2017
In autumn 2017, Russo moved to the United States to play college soccer, joining the ACC team North Carolina Tar Heels. As a freshman she appeared in 19 games, making 18 starts. She 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. The team won the 2017 ACC Women's Soccer Tournament, beating the Duke Blue Devils 1–0 in the final, having finished runners-up to Duke in the regular season. 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.
2018
In 2018, despite missing the postseason with a broken leg, 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. 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…
- Club
- North Carolina Tar Heels women's soccer (2017–2019)
- Club
- Chelsea F.C. Women (2016–2017)
- Club
- Brighton & Hove Albion W.F.C. (2017–2017)
- Club
- England women's national under-17 association football team (2014–2015)
- Club
- England women's national under-19 association football team (2016–2017)
- Club
- Manchester United W.F.C. (2020–2023)
- Club
- Arsenal W.F.C. (2023–)
- National team
- England
Personal
Born in Maidstone, Kent to Carol and Mario, Russo began playing football at a young age in a family of athletes. Her father played non-league football for Metropolitan Police F.C. and is their record goalscorer. Her middle brother, Giorgio, has played non-league football for various teams, including Ramsgate and also appeared on the 12th season of Love Island. Her other brother, Luca, represented England in track and field at the under-20 level. Russo is of part Italian descent – her Sicilian grandfather from Aragona, in the Province of Agrigento, moved to England in the 1950s. Her grandfather became a fan of Manchester United and passed this on to his children and grandchildren. Russo first played competitive football from the age of 6, playing for West Farleigh Sports Club in the under 7's boys' team. Russo played for Bearsted F.C. Girls U10 as a child; in 2022, as part of the "Where Greatness Is Made" campaign, a plaque honouring 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 Russo was at the London club's Centre of Excellence. 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. When she was considering university, Chelsea offered her an option that would have…
Born in Maidstone, Kent to Carol and Mario, Russo began playing football at a young age in a family of athletes. Her father played non-league football for Metropolitan Police and is their record goalscorer. Her middle brother, Giorgio, has played non-league football for various teams, including Ramsgate, and also appeared on the 12th series of Love Island. Her other brother, Luca, represented England in track and field at the under-20 level. Russo is of part Italian descent – her Sicilian grandfather from Aragona, in the Province of Agrigento, moved to England in the 1950s. Her grandfather became a fan of Manchester United and passed this on to his children and grandchildren. Russo first played competitive football from the age of 6, playing for West Farleigh Sports Club in the under 7's boys' team. Russo played for Bearsted Girls U10 as a child; in 2022, as part of the "Where Greatness Is Made" campaign, a plaque honouring 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 Russo was at the London club's Centre of Excellence. 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. When she was considering university, Chelsea offered her an option that would have involved…
Clubs
- Arsenal W.F.C.2023current
- England women's national under-17 association football team2014–2015
- Chelsea F.C. Women2016–2017
- England women's national under-19 association football team2016–2017
- Brighton & Hove Albion W.F.C.2017–2017
- North Carolina Tar Heels women's soccer2017–2019
- Manchester United W.F.C.2020–2023
Played together with
Adriana LeonManchester United W.F.C. · 2022
Aimee PalmerManchester United W.F.C.
Alex GreenwoodManchester United W.F.C. · 2018–2019
Amy TurnerManchester United W.F.C. · 2018- Aurora MikalsenManchester United W.F.C.
- Carrie JonesManchester United W.F.C. · 2020
Celin Bizet DønnumManchester United W.F.C. · 2024
Ebony SalmonManchester United W.F.C. · 2018–2019
Ella TooneManchester United W.F.C. · 2018
Emily RamseyManchester United W.F.C.
Estelle CascarinoManchester United W.F.C.
Fran BentleyManchester United W.F.C. · 2018
Archive
Passport
Identifiers & aliases
Alessia Mia Teresa Russo is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for Women's Super League club Arsenal and the England national team. She played college soccer for the North Carolina Tar Heels.
Opinions of fans — not verified facts.
…

