'He has been one of my idols ever since I was a little girl' Alessia Russo spoke about David Beckham. Photo: Getty Images/Naomi Baker
Alessia Russo was inspired at this World Cup by the personal motivation and advice of her lifelong idol David Beckham, who says his daughter Harper describes the England striker as her favorite. player.
The former England men's team captain met Russo prior to this tournament for a promotional shoot, but Beckham kept in touch and supported as the duo exchanged phone numbers and was understood. to send her a congratulatory text message after she scored the first goal in England's group stage victory over China.
Russo said she «fired up» after learning she was Harper's favorite player and added of meeting Beckham: «It's one of my highlights off the pitch, sitting down and having a normal conversation with someone you would see on world stage when you were a young girl. It was really amazing.
“It was a touching moment in terms of what women's sport has done these days. He has been one of my idols ever since I was a little girl. He was very nice.
“It was a conversation entirely dedicated to the World Cup, and it was nice to hear from him not only what he did on the field, but also how he felt in the moments of the World Cup. He says it was the biggest climax of his career. He said his best and biggest memories are with the England jersey. It's something you can really relate to.
«He said, 'You should never lose sight of what you guys do as a team.' I think sometimes we are always in the moment and all we see and compete for every day is the field and training. But beyond that, there's an impact, and it's really, really good to hear.»
David Beckham is so grateful for Alessia Russo ❤️
[🎥] @adidasfootball pic.twitter.com/Qb8xTHgWGX
— Sky Sports WSL (@SkySportsWSL) July 17, 2023
The two former Manchester United players also exchanged specially prepared shirts and, after receiving later in the text from Beckham, Russo added: “It is good to hear that the players are following the tournament. For all of us, these are our idols.»
«Playing for England is always hard on your shoulders»
Russo started in all four of England's Down Under matches and scored one goal in the campaign. England staff have been working hard with the Arsenal striker at training ground this week to try and get her back in shape and see her at her best in Saturday's quarter-final against Colombia, according to Telegraph Sport sources close to the Liones camp. Asked if she felt more pressure to start matches this summer as she was called up as a super substitute for Euro 2022, Russo replied: «I think when you play for your country, there is always a load on your shoulders.»< /p>
«It's a different [beginning] but your work is the same and you focus on the same. When I went to the Euros it was my first tournament and I just wanted to make sure I didn't miss the moment and enjoyed every second. That's the mindset I came up with.»
Russo has scored 12 goals in 26 England appearances, including once in this one. Credit & Copyright: Getty Images/Fred Lee » Lauren James. Head coach Sarina Wigman said on Friday that England «respects the punishment» by FIFA for the two-match ban on James after she was sent off against Nigeria.
Erps: «The best is yet to come» from England
England have so far conceded just one goal in this competition and not a single field goal, but they have a tough task ahead of them against a confident Colombia who beat Germany in the group stage.
Lionesses goaltender Mary Earps, however, says England has «even more passes» they can go for, saying in Friday's busy pre-match press conference: «I really believe the best is yet to come. There are so many talents in the group and so many other levels that we can climb to. We are not sitting here, just happy to be here — we are not satisfied, we are not finished yet, there are more levels that we want to pass.
“I trained with the players every day, saw them in person and had the honor of working with them for a while and I see talent in the team day in and day out. I don't think we were bad by any means, but you've seen glimpses of what we're capable of.
“We as a team know and understand what we want to achieve. We know we can give more. That's not to say our efforts weren't 110 percent and we got results, but I think the way we want to dominate games and get wins, we're excited about this challenge as a group to do more. It will come with time as we learn and work with each other, gain experience and all that stuff.”
Colombia is the last team left in the competition from the Americas after the early exit of Brazil, USA and Olympic champions Canada, and are expected to be supported by tens of thousands of active fans at Australia Stadium on Saturday, with a total attendance of around 75,000.
Свежие комментарии