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Alessia Russo

Alessia Russo, Keira Walsh and Lauren James win at first Women’s Football Awards

Manchester United forward Russo was named player of the year, while midfielder Walsh, her fellow Euro 2022 winner who joined Barcelona from Manchester City last summer for a world-record fee, took the international player of the year award.

Chelsea forward James and Liverpool midfielder Missy Bo Kearns, both 21, were winners in the young player of the year category.

There were also gongs for two members of the England men’s team, with captain Harry Kane and Declan Rice receiving ally awards, and former England and Arsenal striker Ian Wright was named women’s football champion of the year.

The ceremony, hosted by Eni Aluko and Jamie Carragher, followed more than 20,000 public votes being cast and ratification by a judging panel led by United forward Nikita Parris, Real Madrid midfielder Caroline Weir and Sky Sports News presenter Hayley McQueen.

United, who this season have secured their highest Women’s Super League points haul and Champions League qualification for the first time, as well as making their Women’s FA Cup final debut, were named best club of the year.

Other individuals recognised included former Everton and Liverpool player Fern Whelan, the first women’s football equality, diversity and inclusion executive for the Professional Footballers’ Association, receiving the Off The Pitch award.

Karen Carney, who retired in 2019 with 144 England caps, was honoured with a lifetime achievement award, and there was a special recognition award given to Carol Thomas, the captain of the Lionesses team that were runners-up at the first women’s European Championship in 1984.

Aluko, another former player to have won more than 100 England caps, said: “Tonight was a highlight of my career. This was a first for women’s football and a landmark moment for the game. I am so proud to be part of this event.

“For the first time, women’s football has got the recognition it deserved. It is even more special because the public nominated and voted for these awards.

“To see so many amazing footballers, people, organisations and brands recognised for advancing and improving the game we love was phenomenal.”

Bellingham, Alexander-Arnold and Russo had their say on new Adidas Predator

Meanwhile, the legacies of Zinedine Zidane and David Beckham – who helped make the boot famous in the 1990s and 2000s – have formed a key part of the "DNA" of the newest design, according to Adidas' category director for football footwear, Mahsa Aryan.

Bellingham has been wearing Predators during his incredible rise to superstardom at Real Madrid, while Liverpool's Alexander-Arnold joined Adidas' stable of athletes late last year.

Both of the England internationals have had their say in the design of the Predator 24, while England and Arsenal women star Russo has also given her feedback in what Aryan described as a "super close" working relationship.

Aryan told Stats Perform: "Over the years, I think where we have been able to succeed has been staying super close to our professional players.

"They obviously have a different level of understanding of how the game is evolving and obviously what their needs are as a result of that evolution and so we stay very closely connected to our clubs, to our key players and make sure we're having a constant conversation of what's working or what's not working.

"What's been really fun about the Predator 24 is we've had a lot of conversations throughout the creation, right from basically inception, all the way to the final sign-off that we had on the boots.

"We've had constant conversations with Jude, with the likes of Russo as well, so also the women's game [is] definitely just as important, and with Trent, obviously, he is a new key face who we're super excited to have and super excited that he wants to be such a key part of our launch of Predator."

However, Aryan stressed how keen Adidas were to remain connected to the past, with Zidane in particular playing a key role.

"But we've also maintained and stayed connected to our previous icons," she added: "So I had the pleasure of sitting down and really discussing the Predator 24, and future, with Zidane, for example, and getting a lot of his thoughts, not just from the perspective of an iconic player of the past, but what he sees in the game now.

"When you think back into the late 90s, into the early 2000s, there were a lot of, let's call it disruptive players for football footwear, and you could see that was really the evolution of the old style of football, going into the new style.

"It was like the last generation of when football was all about power and all about the specific set pieces and now it's become so much more dynamic. I think those personalities are heavily driven into what the Predator has been, but also the DNA of it, definitely coming from the Zidanes and Beckhams of the world."

The Predators have certainly helped Bellingham thrive at Madrid this campaign. The midfielder has already scored a remarkable 17 goals in just 24 games across all competitions, while adding a further six assists. Alexander-Arnold, meanwhile, has set up eight goals for Liverpool with his quality deliveries.

England's Euro 2025 qualification hopes 'boosted' after France win, says Wiegman

The Lionesses lost 2-1 to the same opponents at St. James' Park on Friday, with the manager left rueing lapses in concentration over the set-pieces that led to France’s goals.

In the reverse fixture in Saint-Etienne, England dominated the first half, as goals from Georgia Stanway and Alessia Russo put them in control.

Leah Williamson conceded a penalty, which was coolly converted by Kadidiatou Diani in the second half, but England held on to see out a vital win and move just two points behind Les Bleues in Group A3.

Wiegman praised her side's response to Friday's defeat but remained coy about their chances ahead of their next qualifiers in July.

"A team effort," Wiegman told ITV Sport. "You know the second half is going to be different, and they are going to push, but we worked so hard to stay together and keep the win.

"You know they are going to press. They were really chasing us. We have to make better decisions, be a bit calmer. We played into their hands a bit. We know when they win the ball there, they have players that are so quick. We want to take those moments out, of course.

"Of course [the win] gives a boost. We want to win, and we are in a better position now. The group is totally open. We said from the beginning this is a really tough group with top level teams. It helps when you win, but most of all, we did better than Friday."

Russo was one of the standout players for England during the victory, and she echoed Wiegman's sentiments.

"I think we got our standards back to where we wanted them," Russo said. "There are still parts we will work on for sure. We know the level is higher than ever and to even qualify for the Euros is going to be harder than ever.

"I just tried to do what I could. France are a top side with some of the best centre-backs in the world. It was nice to get on the scoresheet, but we created a lot of better chances tonight.

"We know our standards have to be higher. We probably let them slip a bit recently. We know the talent we have. We know the potential we have, and we saw a lot more flashes of it tonight."

Women's Euros: History, contenders and storylines to follow as Spain lead challengers to hosts England

Wiegman's switch to coach the Lionesses has served as a key sub-plot to the tournament, which will put women's football in the spotlight throughout July.

It gets under way when England play Austria at Old Trafford on Wednesday, women taking the spotlight in a year when the men's World Cup unusually takes place in November and December.

Almost 120,000 spectators attended games when England's north west staged Euro 2005; however, the overwhelming majority were either at games featuring England, or at the final between Germany and Norway at Blackburn Rovers' Ewood Park.

That meant some games were sparsely attended, with just 957 spectators seeing France beat Italy in the group stages in Preston. This time, with the tournament boosted from eight to 16 teams since England were last hosts, over 500,000 tickets have been sold, meaning near-empty stadiums should be a thing of the past.

Here, Stats Perform looks at what to expect from the 26-day finals.

German dominance gives way as rest of Europe catches up

Germany used to be the queens of the Women's Euros, but their crown has slipped. After winning six consecutive titles, the Germans fell short at Euro 2017 when they lost to eventual runners-up Denmark in the quarter-finals.

It was all rather end-of-an-era stuff, with the rise of professionalism across Europe's most powerful and forward-thinking footballing nations only likely to be further in evidence this year. Germany, of course, are included among those powerhouses, but they have plenty of company now at the top table.

The Dutch hosts roared to glory at Euro 2017, with Vivianne Miedema scoring twice in a 4-2 victory over the Danes in the final, having demolished Mark Sampson's England 3-0 to reach that stage. Miedema joined Arsenal shortly before that tournament and has become the Women's Super League's record scorer while with the Gunners, the defining player of the blossoming WSL.

This is a tournament that was first officially staged in 1984, with Sweden beating England on penalties in Luton after the teams finished tied on aggregate after home and away ties.

From the second staging in 1987 through to 1997, the tournament was staged every two years, with Norway triumphing in 1987 and 1993. Germany – and West Germany in 1989 – otherwise swept the board and continued to do so when it became a quadrennial championship.

The mighty Germans dismissed England 6-2 in the 2009 final in Helsinki, with a Lionesses team that included Alex Scott, Kelly Smith, Karen Carney, Eni Aluko, Fara Williams and Casey Stoney overwhelmed. Another survivor from that match, veteran midfielder Jill Scott, features in Wiegman's squad this year.

Mighty Spain top list of trophy contenders

Spain are favourites with the bookmakers, and what a team they are, built on classic foundations of players from Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid. Their sensational midfielder Alexia Putellas could own this tournament, but the Spanish rise was checked by Barcelona's stunning defeat to Lyon in the Champions League final.

French outfit Lyon have been established titans of the women's game for years, but Barcelona looked to have surpassed them, winning all 30 of their Primera Division games last season in a display of their might. Yet on the biggest club stage of all, Barcelona, with their many Spain stars, were caught cold and slumped to a 3-1 loss.

That should give Spain's Euros rivals some hope, as should the blow that Spain suffered when star forward Jennifer Hermoso was ruled out by a knee injury.

There are plenty of credible challengers, with hosts England among them. Since Wiegman replaced Phil Neville, England have won every match under their new coach, including a 5-1 victory over the Netherlands at Elland Road in June, and they should be able to handle group games against Austria, Norway and Northern Ireland.

Expect the familiar European giants to contend. Women's football is gradually becoming big business, and the richest countries are building the best facilities and funding the game on a professional level, which is a far cry from how the game was a decade ago.

England go Dutch, Dutch go English, Scandinavians on a mission

France have left national team greats Amandine Henry and Eugenie Le Sommer out of their squad, so how they cope without that illustrious duo remains to be seen, while England are without long-standing former captain and defensive mainstay Steph Houghton, who was judged not fit enough by Wiegman after an injury lay-off.

The hosts have Barcelona's new recruit Lucy Bronze, another rock of their team for many years, while the likes of winger Lauren Hemp and strikers Ella Toone and Alessia Russo should announce themselves on the big stage. Not for the first time, England look forward-heavy, with question marks over their midfield strength. New captain Leah Williamson attended the last Euros as a fan, so this is a significant step up.

While England are coached by a Dutchwoman, the Netherlands are bossed by Englishman Mark Parsons, who had a long spell with the Portland Thorns before replacing Wiegman. The reigning champions are contenders again, given the presence of Miedema and the mercurial Lieke Martens, who has traded Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain in the off-season. The thumping by England was a jolt, but don't read too much into that result.

Denmark's Pernille Harder and Norway's Ada Hegerberg are superstar strikers in teams that might cause a surprise, Sweden sit second in the FIFA rankings so rightly fancy their chances, and then you have Germany. The eight-time winners lack the star power of their rivals and must play Denmark and Spain in the group stage, but their squad is packed with experience, so count them out at your peril.

Women's Euros: Wiegman sticks with White over Russo, Germany also unchanged

There had been speculation that Lionesses manager Wiegman would give in-form Alessia Russo a first start of the campaign, with the striker third in the scoring charts with four goals from the bench.

However, Wiegman has instead kept faith with Ellen White, who has scored just twice in five starts but is England's all-time top goalscorer.

England have named the same team from the start in all six of their matches at the finals, making them the first team in either a men's or women's European Championship to name an unchanged starting XI in every game from the group stages to the final.

Speaking to BBC Sport on the Wembley pitch ahead of the game, White said: "I can't really describe it. This noise is insane. It's so special. I'm going to soak in every moment.

"I've said so many times how special this group is. We can't wait for this game and to hopefully make this nation as proud as possible."

Germany coached Voss-Tecklenburg has also named the same team again, keeping faith with the side who beat France 2-1 in the semi-finals.

Beth Mead and Alexandra Popp will both be looking to find the net as they seek outright ownership of the Golden Boot, with six goals apiece heading into the final.