Alessia Russo

Alessia Mia Teresa Russo (born 8 February 1999) is an English footballer who plays as a forward for Manchester United in the FA Women's Super League and the England national team.

Alessia Russo
Personal information
Full name Alessia Mia Teresa Russo[1]
Date of birth (1999-02-08) 8 February 1999
Place of birth Maidstone, England
Height 172 cm (5 ft 8 in)[1]
Position(s) Midfielder / Forward
Club information
Current team
 Manchester United
Number 23
Youth career
Charlton Athletic
Chelsea
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2017–2019 North Carolina Tar Heels 57 (28)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016–2017 Chelsea 1 (0)
2017 Brighton & Hove Albion 7 (3)
2020– Manchester United 4 (3)
National team‡
2013–2014 England U15 2 (0)
2014–2016 England U17 27 (17)
2017– England U19 11 (0)
2017– England U20 7 (4)
2019– England U21 8 (0)
2020– England 1 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 18 October 2020
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 11 March 2020

She has previously played for Chelsea, Brighton & Hove Albion and North Carolina Tar Heels, and has represented England at all age groups.

Club career

Early career

Russo began her career at Charlton Athletic's centre of excellence,[2] before joining and captaining Chelsea's development squad.[3] Her first and only senior appearance with Chelsea came during the first round of the FA WSL Continental Cup on 2 July 2016.[4]

Brighton & Hove Albion

In January 2017, Russo joined newly-promoted WSL 2 side Brighton & Hove Albion ahead of the 2017 FA WSL Spring Series.[5] 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.[6]

North Carolina Tar Heels

In autumn 2017, Russo moved to the United States to play college soccer, joining ACC team North Carolina Tar Heels.[7] As a freshman she appeared in 19 games, making 18 starts.[8] She finished as the leading scorer on the team with 9 goals as well as 2 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. In 2018, despite missing the postseason with a broken leg,[9] 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.[10] In August 2020, Russo announced she was forgoing her final year of college eligibility amid uncertainty around the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[11][12]

Manchester United

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.[13] She made her debut three days later as a half-time substitute in a 5–2 league victory over Birmingham City, registering an assist.[14] She scored her first goal for the club in the following game, starting in a 3–0 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion.[15] Russo was nominated for WSL Player of the Month in October 2020 with three goals and one assist in three appearances.[16][17] However, she was sidelined in November after a hamstring injury suffered in training required surgery.[18]

International career

Youth

Russo has represented England on the under-15,[19] under-17 and under-19, under-20 and under-21 national teams.[20] In October 2015, she scored five goals against Croatia during a 13–0 2016 UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship qualification win before scoring a hat-trick against Estonia in the following game.[21][22] Russo finished joint top-scorer in qualifying with 9 goals and then again at 2016 UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship, scoring 5 goals including a brace against Germany in a 4–3 semi-final defeat as England finished third.[23] She competed at the 2016 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup in Jordan[24] and was part of the squad that finished third at the 2018 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup.[25]

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.[26] 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.[27]

Personal life

Born in Maidstone, Kent,[2] Russo is of Italian descent. Her Sicilian grandfather moved to England in the 1950s.[28] Her father, Mario, played non-league football for Met Police and brother, Giorgio, has also played non-league football for multiple teams, most recently for Ramsgate.[29] Her brother, Luca, went to the University of Missouri on a track and field scholarship.[30][28]

In 2006, Russo was a mascot for her future United manager Casey Stoney, who was captain of Charlton Athletic while Russo was at the London club's Centre of Excellence.[31]

Career statistics

College
Team Season NCAA Regular Season ACC Tournament NCAA Tournament Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
North Carolina
Tar Heels		 2017[32] Div. I 1383130199
2018[33] 1460000146
2019[34] 15633642413
Total 422064945728

Club
As of 18 October 2020.[35][36]
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Chelsea 2016 WSL 00001010
Brighton & Hove Albion 2017 WSL 2 7320—93
Manchester United 2020–21 WSL 43001053
Career total 1162020156

Honours

College

North Carolina Tar Heels

International

England U20s

Individual
  • ACC Freshman of the Year: 2017
  • ACC Offensive Player of the Year: 2018

References
  1. "List of Players – England" (PDF). FIFA. 24 September 2016. p. 4. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
  2. Edwards, Luke (21 September 2020). "'I came back with a degree': Alessia Russo proof you can become a professional footballer without sacrificing your education". The Telegraph. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  3. Oberg, Tim (16 July 2015). "Chelsea här för att utvecklas". Goteborgs-Posten. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  4. "WSL Continental Cup – First Round review: Drama at the Hive, as Chelsea crash out to buzzing Bees". Vavel. 3 July 2016. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  5. "Brighton & Hove Albion Women add four new signings ahead of the Spring Series". VAVEL. 24 January 2017.
  6. Association, The Football. "FA WSL Spring Series under way". www.thefa.com.
  7. "Tar Heel Women's Soccer Adds Nine Newcomers For 2017". UNC Tar Heels Athletics. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
  8. "Alessia Russo profile". UNC Tar Heels Athletics. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
  9. "Alessia Russo continues racking up ACC awards after season-ending injury". The Daily Tar Heel.
  10. "Russo named Second-team All-America". UNC Tar Heels Athletics. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
  11. "Russo announces UNC departure". Alessia Russo twitter. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
  12. "Two UNC Women's Soccer Leading Stars Leave University Due to Unclear Season". SI.com.
  13. "Man Utd Women sign Alessia Russo". www.manutd.com.
  14. "Birmingham City 2–5 Manchester United". womenscompetitions.thefa.com.
  15. "Manchester United 3–0 Brighton". womenscompetitions.thefa.com.
  16. "Stoney and Russo up for WSL awards". www.manutd.com.
  17. "How Man Utd star Alessia Russo could have joined rivals Arsenal instead". www.goal.com.
  18. "Manchester United forward requires surgery on hamstring injury". FAWSL Full-Time. 8 November 2020.
  19. Hoad, Alex (9 November 2012). "Maidstone schoolgirl Alessia Russo scores on her England under-15 debut". Kent Online. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  20. Tucker, Craig (12 July 2016). "Chelsea and England footballer Alessia Russo targets World Cup in Jordan after starring at European Championships". Kent Online. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  21. "Stanway and Russo each score five as England run riot". England FA. 1 October 2015. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  22. "Estonia-England | Women's Under-17". UEFA.com.
  23. Lavery, Glenn (13 May 2016). "All eyes on the World Cup after Euro defeat by Germany". England FA. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  24. Association, The Football. "Alessia Russo stays grounded despite World Cup heroics". www.thefa.com. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  25. "England win bronze medal at FIFA U20 Women's World Cup". The FA. 24 August 2018. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
  26. Veevers, Nicholas (26 February 2020). "Alessia Russo to join England squad for SheBelieves Cup, with Lucy Bronze ruled out". The Football Association.
  27. "Spain Defeats England 1–0 on Final Match Day of 2020 SheBelieves Cup". www.ussoccer.com. 11 March 2020.
  28. Laverty, Rich (9 November 2017). "Remember the Name: Alessia Russo". Our Game Magazine.
  29. "Ramsgate bring in two – The Pitching In Isthmian Football League". www.isthmian.co.uk.
  30. "Luca Russo – Track & Field". University of Missouri Athletics.
  31. "Alessia Russo and Casey Stoney". Manchester United twitter. 10 September 2020.
  32. "North Carolina Tar Heels 2017 season stats" (PDF). www.goheels.com. North Carolina Tar Heels. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
  33. "North Carolina Tar Heels 2018 season stats" (PDF). www.goheels.com. North Carolina Tar Heels. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
  34. "North Carolina Tar Heels 2019 season stats" (PDF). www.goheels.com. North Carolina Tar Heels. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
  35. "Alessia Russo soccerway profile". Soccerway.
  36. "WSL Player Stats". womenscompetitions.thefa.com.
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