ᑕ❶ᑐ Alessia Russo: FIFA Puskas Award recognition ‘huge’ for women’s football

England striker Alessia Russo says it is “huge” for women’s football that her goal is among the nominees for the FIFA Puskas Award.

It is among the competition Kylian Mbappe’s goal against France World Cup final in extra time.

“Even if you don’t mean for it to be surreal, it is,” Russo said.

“It wouldn’t have happened a few years ago, now female footballers are recognized not only in England, but all over the world.

“It’s huge for where we want the sport to go. You want to be recognized for what you do. When you’re up against people like that, it puts things into perspective. »

Lyonnaise’s Amandine Henry was also nominated for her goal in the Women’s Champions League final win, while Spain’s superb Salma Paralluelo against Barcelona was also nominated.

Brazil’s Richarlison, France’s Mbappe and Italy’s Mario Balotelli are among the big names in the running.

“Three women competing for the award is great. If one of us wins it would be amazing and show how far the game has come,” added the 23-year-old Russo.

“An incredible goal is an incredible goal – it doesn’t matter if it’s from men’s or women’s football. We want women’s football to be out there and recognized among the best. It’s getting there now.

“When I was a kid, watching the Pushkas’ arms, there was never a woman there. Great for women’s sports, women’s soccer and young girls. »

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“That doesn’t happen often in games…”

“Dazzling” and “illegal” are just some of the words used to describe Russo’s Euro underdog, who was named UEFA’s best goal of the tournament.

After the goal, his football boots were displayed alongside the Crown Jewels in the Tower of London as a national treasure.

Russo’s former club also incorporated running back drills in training three days later, with shirts featuring the goal printed on them.

“It was strange! I have it [a t-shirt]I haven’t worn it, but I have it. A few girls have them and sometimes they wear them to please me, I get a little embarrassed when people wear them,” Russo said.

“Obviously the Tower of London boots were the most amazing thing. Then many young children were resting [the goal]this is the most important thing to me.

“The club I played for had a training session a few days after the game and one of their training sessions was running back training. It was very nice. I got some great videos out of it all, it was great. ”

Rousseau is still often asked about the goal and jokes that he is getting “a bit fed up” with it, but is aware of its importance in England winning their first Euros.

Will he score like that again? And how often does that happen in training?

“No, I don’t think so! “Sometimes when I return the ball, I kick my back, but it’s more for fun and nothing serious,” Russo added.

“It’s not often seen in games or anything. Appeared in this game and luckily entered! »

“I want to keep competing and win everything”

After a whirlwind summer, Russo carried her form into the Women’s Super League season with impressive performances for Manchester United.

United scored five goals in eight games to finish second in the table, three points behind champions Chelsea with a game in hand.

His team also started the year impressively, defeated his opponent “Liverpool” with a score of 6:0 in front of a record crowd at Leigh Sports Village on Sunday.

“The competition in this league is very high. Anybody can beat anybody, so you can’t let off the gas, which is exciting as a player because you want every game to be big,” Russo said.

“This is how it goes in the second half of the season with very close points. We want to be here, we want to compete at the top. »

Russo’s role has also changed with England preparing for the 2023 Women’s World Cup in July.

After Ellen White retired, Russo became the main hitter for Sarina Wiegman’s team.

“As you play in tournaments and get older, with more games, there’s a little more expectation, but that’s something I set for myself,” Russo said.

“In the world of football, I am a young striker. But my experiences so far have prepared me for this and I have big ambitions.

“I want to keep competing and win everything. Expectations come, but these are my expectations of myself. They go together. »

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