At last, the 2024/25 Women’s Super League has officially come to an end. After an emphatic run of 22 games, all 12 teams poured their blood, sweat, and tears into defining their fate. And it wasn’t just the league table that brought chaos—individual awards saw cutthroat competition too. But who would’ve thought Arsenal star Alessia Russo would take things a notch higher, becoming the center of attention at not one, but two major award shows!

And by two award shows, we mean one within the beautiful game and one outside it. Well, speaking about the domain she dominates, Alessia Russo officially lifted the Golden Boot award for the 2024/25 season. The English forward scored over 12 goals. But she shall share this feat with Manchester City star Khadija Shaw who also ties on the same tally of goals.

As for her second triumph, it’s specifically not in the form of a trophy but rather the biggest honor any soccer player could get. Alessia Russo was invited to the British Association of Film, Television, and Screen Studies Awards (BAFTAs) last night. In fact, she wasn’t alone, witnessed alongside her fellow teammate and on-loan Manchester City star Chloe Kelly to present an award at the BAFTAs tonight.

And boy do we reckon it took a toll on her while rowing two boats at the same time. Well, that’s because around 18:30, she was at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall. However, an hour later at exactly 19:30, she went on to collect Barclay’s Women’s Super League Golden Boot award at the WPG (Women’s Professional Game) Awards.

Notably, it was back in November when Russo began opening her WSL account, further keeping her streak alive in the next five consecutive games. Aside from overall 12 goals, the Maidstone native also notched three assists. Overall, her stats are now 36 goals in 71 matches for the Gunners women’s, having since joined the Londoners in 2023 from Manchester United after a three-year stint.

That’s not all—Alessia also ranks as the second-highest scorer for the team at Emirates Stadium with 11 goals, just behind Beth Mead. Either way, it’s a historic moment for Alessia to shine. While she may not have had anything specific to celebrate at the BAFTAs, winning the league award and simply being invited to such a prestigious event is an honor in itself.

Imagine what must have been going through Russo’s mind, presenting herself on such a global stage, let alone the anxiety of meeting hundreds of A-listers. Scrumptious as they say, but on an unfortunate note, Alessia did end up enduring one major upset!

Alessia Russo fails to make a hattrick of honors

Despite being a top-scorer of the league, Alessia Russo couldn’t clinch her hands on the Women’s Super League Player of the Season award. It was rather her fellow teammate Mariona Caldentey who secured the prestigious title in the inaugural edition of WPG awards. Surprisingly enough, the Spanish midfielder won the award even after scoring three goals less than Russo but boasts five assists.

Not just her fellow teammate, but Caldentey also outshined the likes of Chelsea pair Aggie Beever-Jones and Sandy Baltimore, Manchester United’s Maya Le Tissier, and Manchester City’s Mary Fowler. Further names that made the cut for this distinction were also Liverpool’s Olivia Smith, Brighton’s Kiko Seike, and West Ham United star Shekiera Martinez.

Hilariously, Caldentey herself admitted that she rather expected Russo to lift the award. “I thought Alessia would win it as well. She would have deserved it.” However, the Spanish maestro was rather happy to see the English striker secure the Golden Boot before heaping praise on the team’s collective performance to help her win the Player of the Season award.

Notably, Mariona Caldentey has established herself as a crucial chess piece since having arrived from Barcelona last summer. Not only has she clocked in more minutes on the field than any other Arsenal player this season but the 29-year-old impressively tops the league in shot-creating actions per 90 minutes. She also played a crucial role in her team’s UWCL run, scoring 7 goals in straight 10 appearances. 

Regardless, it’s good to see that Arsenal saw two of their stars get recognized for their efforts in helping the team secure a second-place finish behind the winners, Chelsea. As for Russo, she doesn’t have much to worry about, considering she still boasts an upper hand over Caldentey after being invited on the BAFTAs stage.