From Kent schoolgirl to winning the European Championships with England, Alessia Russo has proved dreams really do come true.

The 23 year old from Maidstone came off the bench and helped guide her Lionesses team to an epic 2-1 victory over Germany after extra time at Wembley.

Russo has become a real cult figure amongst fans during the tournament and has won plaudits from across the game in the past month.

After starting her career with Bearsted Under 10s girls, Russo began her football career at Charlton Athletic’s centre of excellence before joining and captaining Chelseas’ development squad.

Just one appearance at Chelsea preceeded a short spell with Brighton & Hove Albion before making the move to America, signing for North Carolina Tar Heels, bagging 28 goals in 57 appearances.

Manchester United came calling in September 2020 and hasn’t looked back since.

On the international stage, Russo has played through all the England age groups from the Under 15s upwards and it’s only been just over two years since she made her full international debut against Spain in March 2020.

The past two seasons have been a real breakthrough in her club and international career and she bagged a hat-trick in the 20-0 win over Latvia in the 2023 World Cup qualifying clash last November.

Bagging four goals in the Euros, all coming off the bench, Russo has been tipped to become the England Women’s leading striker, replacing Ellen White in the long term, but will be remembered for her cheeky back heel goal against Sweden in the semi-final.

Having been part of the record breaking team that won at Wembley, Russo admits she had full faith in Ella Toone when she was put through on goal by Keira Walsh’s brilliant pass to score the opening goal of the game.

“As soon as she got put through, I knew it was going in the back of the net,”  she said “That’s because she can do it on the biggest stage of all.”

“This is what dreams are made of,” Russo added. “As a young girl watching women’s football and now this, it’s unbelievable.”

“These girls are special, the manager is special, and what a special group of staff. This is amazing. All my family are in the crowd. My mum, all my brothers, my sister, all my nephews, everyone. I just want to celebrate.”

The legacy from this game is unfathomable with girls and women truly inspired by a generation that will long in the memory.