Euros backheel and vineyard dreams: Russo on life, football and England's rise

Alessia Russo, the England forward whose goals helped her country win back-to-back European Championships, sits down with BBC’s The Football Interview to discuss the moments that shaped her career, from a life steeped in football to a dream of a vineyard in Italy after the game. The interview will air on BBC One at 23:55 BST on Saturday, 20 September, with additional availability across BBC iPlayer, BBC Sounds and the BBC Sport website.

Football has always been everything to me. My passion has always been football. I have so much fun out on the pitch. From such an early age to now, although things are a lot more serious these days, football has always meant to me that love of the game and being introduced to it as a kid, Russo says, describing how she maintains the sense of joy that drew her to the sport in the first place. I try to keep as much of that love for the game when I was a kid into the game now. Ultimately that is why I started and why I am so grateful and happy to be able to do it every day now.

Raised with two older brothers, Russo recalls practicing in the family garden where her dad coached their team. She describes growing up in a sporty household where her parents never questioned a girl playing football, which she regards as a crucial factor in her development. I have two older brothers and I used to play with them in the garden all the time. My dad coached their team so I used to go down to the local park with them and try to get involved. They were older than me and in an all-boys team, so I had to bide my time a little bit. I come from such a sporty family and my mum and dad never questioned me playing football, which I am so grateful for. I had to wait a little bit but after that I never looked back.

After her early schooling, Russo entered academy trials that would chart her path toward professional football. She recalls a pivotal moment when a trial at Charlton led to an academy place, and how the experience of playing in both boys’ and girls’ squads helped sharpen her resolve. I had to trial at Charlton. That was a really good trial and I had one of the best sessions of my life. After that, the coach spoke to my dad and said they would like to offer me a place in the academy, and Dad told me on the way home, which was really nice. When I was in the academy, I was a mascot for Casey Stoney because she was the captain at one point. It is crazy to see how far the game has developed since then, Russo notes, reflecting on how players now rise with greater visibility and opportunity.

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A turning point outside England came with three years in the United States, when Russo moved to North Carolina to play college football. She says the experience forced growth and helped her understand herself beyond the pitch. It was a big decision to go away from home, but those three years changed me as a person. I learned a lot about myself, about my body, and I found joy in other things too. The only person I knew there was Lotte [Wubben-Moy], who is with me now [at Arsenal], so it’s nice to reminisce with her. That period helped me appreciate the balance between football and life outside it and prepared me for the professional world.

The bond with teammates and friends extended into Russo’s return to England, where she joined Manchester United and began forging a path that would lead to global recognition. Her move to United came full circle in a sense, as Casey Stoney—then manager of United—had earlier coached her as a youth player, and Russo remembers the experience as transformative. When I signed, they put out photos of me holding Casey’s hand walking out of the tunnel and then me signing with her. That was a full-circle moment. Casey was amazing for me when I signed at United. She made it really clear what she wanted from her players and for me — to be introduced to a first professional team — and it made that transition really smooth.

Russo’s rise with England has been punctuated by dramatic moments in major tournaments. She was part of the Lions’ Euro 2022 victory, scoring in the final and helping England seal a memorable triumph in Switzerland. When asked about the most meaningful matches of her career, she points to two games: the Euro 2022 final, where England clinched the title in dramatic fashion, and the 2023 World Cup final against Spain, a heartbreak that underscored a learning process for a squad still growing in maturity and stature. I think about the World Cup final against Spain. It hurt a lot after winning the Euros, knowing how that felt, to get so close to the World Cup but then so far away at the same time. It left a hole in us as a team, but the way we bounced back in the Euros maybe wouldn’t have happened if we won. And the Euro 2022 final was extraordinary—the whole process of winning that tournament in England and then seeing the change, seeing everyone become a fan of women’s football after. That moment changed so much for us and for the sport, Russo reflects on the broader impact of their success.

Russo is famously modest about her own skill set, often emphasizing instinct and timing over technical wizardry. When asked about the semi-final backheel that became a defining moment of Euro 2022, she downplays it, noting she’s not a flashy skiller but values moments when the ball lands in the right place at the right time. I’m not really a skilful player, I more knock it and run. Chloe Kelly is a skilful player, I’m not. That moment was just so instinctive. In that tournament, Sarina gave us such freedom to express ourselves. You don’t do a backheel for fun; you do it if the moment is right. The confidence she instilled in us was really cool.

Russo’s family remains central to her life off the pitch. Her father, a former police officer, remains a steady voice—sending a long pregame message with a note of encouragement and a reminder to stay organized. He always says, BTB, “be the best” you can be in whatever you can do. Her siblings have followed her journey with pride, including Giorgio, who recently appeared on Love Island and did well, and her other brother who acts as her agent. She treasures the conversations with them about football, even as she looks ahead to what comes after her playing days. My dad sends me a message before every game and it’s a long text with details of the date and the opponent and a few key things he thinks I’ve been working on. It’s the police officer in him—he has to be organised. And he has this phrase when we say goodbye: BTB.

Beyond trophies and finals, Russo envisions a life beyond football. She speaks openly about aspirations that stretch past management and leagues toward personal milestones: a World Cup would be a pinnacle, but she also imagines a future with children, a home on a beach, and even a vineyard in Italy where she could relax and enjoy life away from the sport. It’s a balance between chasing every trophy and preparing for a new chapter where she can root herself in a different kind of happiness. One day after football, I’d like to have another career. I’d love to have children and live on a beach somewhere. I’d love to have my own vineyard and live in Italy with my family and have loads of kids and switch off and just be away from football and watch it for fun and enjoy a whole other life. But I don’t think that will ever happen. I look forward to after football and achieving everything I want to achieve in terms of trophies. I suppose it’s a new phase of life after you play football.

The Football Interview, hosted by Kelly Somers, invites viewers to a rare, candid conversation with one of the sport’s rising stars. The program, described as a bold, in-depth look at the person behind the player, explores mindset, motivation, and the defining moments of a career. The episode will be available across BBC platforms as part of a broader series that pairs high-profile athletes with intimate, revealing discussions. The interview with Russo is the latest in a series that aims to illuminate the human side of top-level sport while tracing the path from youth football to the pinnacle of the game.

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As Russo looks to the future, her story underscores how far women’s football has come and how far it can still go. Her account of growing up in a football-loving family, moving to the United States for college, returning to England to join United, and achieving back-to-back Euros captures a journey defined not just by medals but by personal growth and resilience. The public now sees a player who can speak with honesty about joy, pressure, and the horizon beyond the game—a reminder that the sport’s biggest stars are, at their core, people who have lived through a series of moments that shaped them as athletes and as individuals.

The Football Interview with Alessia Russo airs on BBC One at 23:55 BST on Saturday, 20 September, and will be accessible across BBC iPlayer, BBC Sounds and the BBC Sport website the following days. The program aims to offer viewers a closer, more nuanced portrait of a player who has already left an indelible mark on English football and who may well define its next era.