Lioness Alessia Russo talks about her ‘low point with food and her weight’

England Lioness Alessia Russo is as striking on the cover of the July/August edition of Women’s Health UK as she is on the pitch.

Russo, 24, swapped her soccer kit for fashionable sportswear to grace the cover of the glossy magazine — and she’s never looked better.

With her toned figure and long blonde hair, she looks just as comfortable in front of the camera as she does when she’s showing off her skills in front of thousands of cheering fans, but speaking to Women’s Health UK, Russo revealed she wasn’t always comfortable in her body.

“There’s a bit of a stigma because obviously you want to compete and be the best on the field, but you also want to look a certain way. Like many young girls [do]“I wanted to be skinny and compete at that level,” she said.

Russo once tracked everything related to food via an app, but now she says that such a strategy didn’t work for her.

“I know some people still use it [it], but… I was at a rock bottom with my food and with my weight. I wasn’t strong enough; I was not robust. I thought I looked great… but really, on the football field I wasn’t strong enough to compete,” the footballer admitted.

Focused on her sport and fully prepared to give her body all the nutrients it needs to keep her performing as an elite athlete, Russo added: “[Now] my body is still a big priority.

“But I understand that I have to eat a lot more than I thought at the beginning, and now I don’t want to be skinny, I want to be strong.” Nutrition plays a major role in how you feel and how your body reacts.’

Photographed in brightly colored Adidas sportswear, Russo revealed that she’s not afraid to show off her girly personality when she’s off the pitch.

“I like makeup, I like having my nails done, my hair done… you could ask male footballers the same thing: they like to dress up and get their hair cut all the time,” she said . .

“Only because we play a sport that is aggressive and contact [that] doesn’t mean we don’t like to pamper ourselves…[I’m] an athlete, but I am also a young girl who likes to be involved in that side as well.

Russo, 24, swapped her soccer kit for fashionable sportswear to grace the cover of the glossy magazine – and she’s never looked better

With her toned figure and long blonde hair, Russo looks as comfortable in front of the camera as she does on the field

“Some girls do it with their clothes…everyone has their own ways of expressing themselves outside of football.”

The 24-year-old Russo, who was part of the England squad that won the UEFA Women’s Championship last summer, was named player of the year at the first-ever Women’s Football Awards, leading some commentators to question whether she will be the next season to pursue the captaincy.

However, Russo makes no promises: “I don’t know if I’ll ever be a leader in the sense of a captain.

“But I think I can lead in other ways, whether that’s from the front, leading in my actions, in how I train, how I play, I’m not the most vocal person; I’d rather just do things.’

Russo is excited about the upcoming World Cup but refuses to be complacent, insisting that the current high level of the women’s game will only make it more interesting.

When it comes to achieving gender equality in football, Russo has no hesitation in working with other players and teams

Russo’s interview with Women’s Health UK is comprehensive, covering the country’s World Cup chances, the importance of working together to achieve gender equality in football and the progress already made in raising the profile of the women’s game.

When it comes to the state of women’s soccer, she’s not shy to say she’s optimistic, especially as more money is now going to women’s soccer.

England Lioness and star striker Alessia Russo, 24, graces the cover of the July/August issue of Women’s Health UK

However, that does not mean that there is no distance to bridge. And ultimate success, says Russo, depends on people within the sport showing solidarity with each other.

“We will always support other teams when they go through such problems; it’s not okay and it wouldn’t happen to the men – so we don’t like to see it happen to the women.’

Excited about next month’s World Cup, Russo is excited about the chance to “make more history” but because “the [standard of the] women’s game is higher than ever’ she is certainly not complacent

“So there will be a lot of teams going there with the same ambition… I think that’s going to make it such a great tournament,” said the top striker.

• The full interview with Alessia Russo can be read in the July/Aug issue of Women’s Health UK, on ​​sale now.