Alessia Russo has not scored for England at this European Championship, yet she has still been their most important player.
For many, that is merely a statement of fact. But it is a sentence that may well rile those who have, for some reason, taken a dislike to the Arsenal forward.
Maybe it is just the modern world, where everyone is a target online for comments linked to appearance as well as professional capabilities.
Put Russo’s name into Google and one of the top suggestions asks if she is in a relationship.
Have a scroll through social media and you will see people refer to Russo as the Princess, not always in a complimentary way. It is something so many high-profile female athletes have to contend with.
Tall, athletic and blonde, Russo’s photogenic face – and the myriad of sponsorship deals that come with it – can spark strangely negative reactions. Whether it is envy or bitterness, Russo being the poster girl of this England generation encourages her detractors to question her footballing ability.
Perhaps it has always been this way for an England striker at a major tournament. Just ask Alan Shearer, Wayne Rooney, Harry Kane, Jodie Taylor or Ellen White.
Even after Russo had created three of England’s four goals against the Netherlands, there were still some who complained that she was named player of the match.
They pointed to her missed header in the first half – it was a bad one – or the lack of goals against France, conveniently ignoring the fact the 26-year-old has had two goals ruled out at this tournament by contentious VAR interventions, for offsides involving other players in the build-up.
Russo has led the line in the best sense of the English tradition. She has been strong, physical and relentless. She has been a constant menace, a persistent source of trouble for defenders and the Lionesses’ most creative player. She ranks top among her team-mates in all attacking metrics except total shots, for which she is only one behind Lauren James’s seven.
There has not been a better all-round centre-forward in Switzerland this summer than Russo, regardless of the fact she is yet to score a goal. Spain’s Esther González is the leading goalscorer, but in terms of an individual’s importance to the way her team attacks, no one is more precious than England’s No 23.
“She’s already bagged three assists,” said team-mate Lauren Hemp. “So she has shown she is a massively important player for us.
“She is incredible. She is so selfless. She will set players up, it is not just scoring that makes her an unbelievable player. It is the things she does off the ball as well.
“She creates loads of chances for everyone else. She’s a great person and we all want to see her do well. It’s mad that she hasn’t scored yet because she has contributed so much to the team winning. It’s only a matter of time until she is scoring anyway, so we won’t be having this conversation for very long.”
It was three years ago that Russo announced herself on the international stage, delivering a series of eye-catching cameos as England’s super sub during their triumphant Euros campaign. The backheeled finish in the semi-final victory over Sweden, an impudent piece of skill, thrust the then Manchester United player into a new realm of celebrity.
In the years that followed, companies including Gucci, Adidas, Oakley, Beats, PlayStation and even Hellmann’s mayonnaise have signed her up for brand partnerships. A marketing executive’s dream, she is in demand, also securing a deal with the BBC to record a podcast with her best friend Ella Toone.
The latter is the cheese to Russo’s chalk. If Toone, her former United team-mate does not have a filter, endearingly blurting out whatever is on her mind, Russo is far more circumspect.
They are further proof that opposites attract, with the pair sharing a warming, relaxed chemistry off the pitch and an excellent understanding on it. Toone’s presence behind Russo against the Netherlands noticeably invigorated England’s offensive game and they combined brilliantly for the fourth goal.
For someone who is so combative and full of energy on the pitch, Russo’s public persona is far less effervescent. She is media-trained to the point of blandness in press conferences; someone who is careful to ensure she does not say anything controversial or contentious. It is probably another reason she has secured so many commercial deals.
Through it all, though, Russo has been steadily improving as a player. Having initially struggled to handle the promotion from back-up to frontline striker following White’s retirement, Russo now looks the complete centre-forward.
The goal she scored against Australia in the World Cup semi-final two years ago was an obvious highlight, but it is the work she does for the team that stands out.
She has become integral to England’s game plan, able to play with her back to goal if needed but also run in behind. She has become a consistent goalscorer too, with 23 goals in 53 international appearances, as well as 12 in the Women’s Super League for Arsenal last season, finishing the domestic campaign as the golden boot winner.
As a Champions League winner with Arsenal, should Russo continue to thrive at this tournament, she will be one of the frontrunners to win the Ballon d’Or later this year. It would be the ultimate vindication for an athlete who is far more than a face on an advertising billboard.
Ignore the haters – Alessia Russo has been England’s best player at Euros
Lionesses’ poster girl may not have found the net but stats prove how vital she is to team’s hopes of defending title