Alessia Russo: How Arsenal and England's star striker forced herself into Ballon d'Or contention

This nomination doesn't come about without the huge strides forward Russo has taken in her goal-scoring over the last 12 months. Last term saw her produce her best numbers to date in front of goal, be it how often she found the back of the net or all the under-lying statistics that showed there were clear improvements made in the box.

Russo's professionalism and dedication to her craft has never been stronger, she's done a lot of work on the finer details with Kelly Smith - the legendary Arsenal forward who is now part of the Gunners' first-team staff - and she's also someone who has been able to keep a level head through the good times and the bad. "She's so consistent and stable as a person that she doesn't get swayed by if she scores or not," Renee Slegers, the Arsenal boss, explained last season.

It all culminated in the first 20-goal season of Russo's career at club level, with another five scored for England.

Those numbers might not be on the level of someone like Ewa Pajor, who surpassed the 50-mark for club and country during her first season at Barcelona. Putellas and Claudia Pina are other members of the Catalan side who outscored Russo last year to land on the Ballon d'Or shortlist, with Lyon's Melchie Dumornay and Bayern Munich's Pernille Harder also hitting 25 goals in all competitions, despite not being out-and-out centre forwards.

However, a big reason why Russo's goals have helped put her nearer the front of the running for the accolade is because so many of them were huge. When Arsenal went into the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final with Real Madrid 2-0 down on aggregate, it was Russo who netted a brace at the Emirates Stadium to help them enjoy the UWCL's biggest comeback for seven years. When they then trailed Lyon in the semi-finals, this time by a 2-1 scoreline but with the second leg away from home, Russo was instrumental again, scoring one and teeing up Caldentey for another in a stunning 4-1 victory.

Then there was her header in the Euro 2025 final which drew England level in a game Spain looked to be in control of. These were tide-turning moments that Russo regularly provided when the pressure was at its greatest.

And these goals led to the triumphs that strengthen her case for the Ballon d'Or. It's hard to overstate how important Russo's contributions were to Arsenal's Champions League success, with her so often a game-changer as they fought back against the odds on a regular basis. Her role in that European triumph was huge.

The 26-year-old's importance for England as they also emerged victorious on the continent was just as great, even if her goal-scoring numbers don't suggest as much. In fact, even if the focus is just on her goals, it's impossible to ignore how significant her equaliser in Basel was for the Lionesses.

But while Russo has improved a lot in terms of her goal-scoring, undoubtedly a huge reason for her Ballon d'Or nomination, her all-round play is also part of this story. This is an element of her game which has always been exceptional but, at the same time, can be hard to quantify.

Sometimes it's obvious. Her role in the dominant win over the Netherlands in the group stages of Euro 2025 is a good example of that. It's easy to forget how important that game was for England, given all the drama that would unfold later on in the knockout stages, but anything other than victory against the Euro 2017 champions would've put the Lionesses on the brink. It didn't come to that though, as Russo produced an incredible three-assist display in a 4-0 battering of the Dutch that got her team back on track.

However, sometimes the assists aren't there to show what Russo's excellent hold-up play, clever movement and intelligent passing does for her team. Those that play alongside her know the value of it all, as do those who watch her regularly. Yet, it deserves a lot more recognition than it currently gets.

Russo has incredible competition for Monday's Ballon d'Or. Both Putellas and Bonmati have brilliant cases to be awarded this honour for a third time, having helped Barca to a domestic treble and a Champions League final, before also playing key roles in Spain's run to the end of Euro 2025. Putellas arguably performed at a higher level than she ever has this past year, despite twice winning the Ballon d'Or, while the individual accolades Bonmati collected throughout the 2024-25 season speak wonders: The midfielder was named the Champions League Player of the Season and the Player of the Tournament at Euro 2025.

Caldentey deserves to be talked about in the same breath. The impact she has made at Arsenal since leaving Barcelona last summer has been incredible, with her role in the Gunners' European triumph just as great as Russo's, if not greater. Named the 2024-25 Women's Super League Player of the Year and the PFA Player of the Year - as voted for by her peers - Caldentey also starred for Spain in the summer and it was she who broke the deadlock in the Euro 2025 final, before Russo's equaliser.

Whoever is invited up on stage on Monday in Paris to be crowned the best player in the world, that Russo is even being mentioned in this conversation is already a win for her. This is someone who has been doubted time and time again as an elite centre-forward and yet, her growth in the last 12 months in particular shows that she can be one of the best No.9s around.

She has to continue to work hard on the goal-scoring front to really cement her place on that level, despite having world-class elements to her game elsewhere. After all, one season doesn't define a player. But given the progress she's made so far, you wouldn't bet against her taking further strides.