With women's football continuing to grow in popularity worldwide, especially here at home, the players are starting to reach the level of fame and adulation previously usually reserved for male footballers.
The England team have become household names following their monumental achievements over the last couple of years, winning the 2022 European Championship at Wembley Stadium before making it to the World Cup final this summer.
With that in mind, Football FanCast wanted to focus in on some of the heroic Lionesses, so here is everything you need to know about Arsenal and England's Alessia Russo.
Alessia Russo's age
Alessia Russo was born on February 8th, 1999, in Maidstone, Kent, and is 24 years old.
Russo was born into a football-mad family, with her brother, Giorgio, playing for several non-league teams in the area, including Ramsgate. At the same time, her father, Mario, was the all-time leading goalscorer for non-league side Metropolitan Police FC.
Growing up, her family were Manchester United fans, partly thanks to their Sicilian grandfather, who fell in love with the Red Devils when he moved to England in the 1950s.
Her first real steps into the professional game came in 2007, when she joined Charlton Athletic's youth setup, before going on to captain Cheslea's development squad and joining Brighton & Hove Albion a decade later in January 2017.
However, when she turned 18 and had to make a decision as to where she would go next, instead of staying in England, she opted to move to the USA to join the North Carolina Tar Heels at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Alessia Russo's college career
Russo spent three seasons playing with the Tar Heels in the US, only forgoing her final season due to the pandemic.
In the three seasons she spent with the team, the dynamic forward made 57 appearances, scored 28 goals, and provided nine assists.
Her coach, Anson Dorrance, was full of praise for Russo when discussing the forwards' footballing ability: "She is a wonderfully creative attacking personality. It is a privilege to coach her.
"She is so good beating players off the dribble. She's also extraordinary with her back to pressure. Her strike is amongst the most powerful on the roster. She can score from long range like few players I've ever coached."
Despite breaking her leg at the end of her second year with the team, Russo earned a plethora of personal accolades, including a call-up to the United Coaches first-team All-America selection for the second successive year, the AOC Offensive Player of the Year award and finished as a semi-finalist in the Hermann Trophy.
Her final year was another massive success and helped to firmly establish Russo as one of the best players in America, helping her to earn a move to Manchester United.
Alessia Russo's club career
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United announced the signing of Russo on 10th September 2020, with the striker putting pen to paper on a two-year deal with the option of a further year.
Appearances would be hard to come by in her first season at the club, and she would end the campaign with just three goals in the Women's Super League, but she would explode in the following two campaigns.
With more game time, Russo scored nine league goals in her second year in Manchester and ten in her third campaign. This fantastic form led to interest from one of the biggest sides in the league, Arsenal.
The Gunners are the most successful side in WSL history, with 15 league titles to their name, so when they came calling, Russo couldn't say no.
The north Londoners announced that they had signed the former United star on a free transfer in July, with Russo clear on her reasons for joining: "I want to win trophies – as does everyone in this club. I can't wait to get stuck in and grow as a player – it's a new challenge and a new environment.
"I think the growth of the women's game has been incredible, but particularly at a club like Arsenal."
So far, the England international has scored four goals in 10 appearances for the Gunners this term, per FootyStats.
Alessia Russo's international career
While Russo has undoubtedly caught the footballing world's attention through her impressive exploits at club level and recent switch to Arsenal, it is her performances in an England shirt that have made her into an international star.
The Arsenal striker was always destined to achieve great things with the Lionesses, earning her first call-up to the international set-up before she signed for Manchester United. In 34 caps, she has 15 England goals to her name.
Russo joined the side for the SheBelieves Cup in early 2020 while still playing college football in the USA.
She was initially selected to join the training camp and gain some experience around the team, but was called into action following an injury to Lucy Bronze and made her international debut in March 2020 at age 20.
With her move to United completed in September of the same year, she would continue to be a part of future England squads but wouldn't earn her first start until February 2022, almost two years after her debut.
The match was a group game against Canada in the Arnold Cup, and while she didn't score herself, she helped the team earn a 1-1 draw. Her first goals came in quite dramatic fashion, though, when she scored an 11-minute hatrick against Latvia as England won 20-0 – a real nail-biter.
With her place in the squad now assured, Russo would join her team as they looked to win the 2022 European Championship on home soil, and while she was used primarily as a substitute, her goals were invaluable to the side.
She also scored one of the most memorable goals of the tournament against Sweden when she pulled off an ingenious backheel that fooled everyone.
While this year's World Cup campaign ultimately ended in heartbreak for Russo and her fellow Lionesses, the competition just served to further show her fantastic skill as she found the back of the net three times on the way to the final.
At just 24 years old, with two major finals and a European trophy under her belt, we can only imagine what she'll achieve with England.
Alessia Russo salary
Russo has gone from having a relatively low profile in women's football to becoming one of the game's most recognisable names in a relatively short period.
This has likely seen her earnings increase dramatically, with her salary at Arsenal now among the highest in the division.
Chloe Morgan, a former WSL player and current editor at The Athletic, has estimated that Russo is earning a six-figure salary at the Emirates when taking into account her base wage and image rights.
Considering Arsenal are said to pay star player Vivianne Miedema around £382,500 a year, we wouldn't be surprised if Russo was on a wage close to that, given she joined the club on a free and is seen as the 'golden child of the WSL'.
Alessia Russo net worth
While getting an accurate figure on Alessia Russo's annual salary is tough, determining her net worth is even more challenging.
However, The Athletic has speculated that Russo is set to be the first women's player to make £1,000,000 a year. They have worked this out by combining the estimated value of her Arsenal salary, her brand deals and the money she earns from the FA.
Since bursting onto the scene last summer, Russo has already signed brand deals with the likes of Oakley, Beats by dr Dre, and Adidas and with her profile only likely to increase as Arsenal play more games at the Emirates this season, we would expect her brand deals to also grow.
In all, while we can't get an accurate figure for her net worth, it is now almost certainly north of £1,000,000 and will likely increase more so as she plays for the Lionesses and Gunners.
Alessia Russo's height
According to ESPN, Alessia Russo is around 5 foot 8 in height, making her the joint second-tallest outfield player in the England squad.
Only Esme Morgan, Lotte Wubben-Moy, and Millie Bright are taller; they all come in at 5ft 10.
England's other forwards for the World Cup were all 5 foot 6 or shorter, which can only be an advantage for Russo.
Alessia Russo and Ella Toone
Russo and ex-Manchester United teammate Ella Toone have been friends since the age of 12, growing up together before getting the opportunity to play with one another at both club and international level.
Although following Russo's move to Arsenal, it's just at the international level now.
Despite playing for rival teams, the pair have remained incredibly close, with Toone even penning Russo an emotional goodbye when she left United.