With hair slicked back in ponytails and sliders on their feet, Alessia Russo and Ella Toone look like two friends catching up on a summer afternoon. In a way, that’s true but these two young women, taking a break from their ELLE shoot, are also Lionesses, with a nation’s hopes on their shoulders as they head into this summer's tournament.
Both played pivotal roles in England winning last year's tournament – Toone, 23, with a crucial goal against Spain to get England into the semi-final, and Russo, 24, with her cheeky back-heeled goal in the dramatic semi-final against Sweden. Unsurprisingly, they hope to replicate last year’s success this summer. ‘[We] both had the dream of one day playing for England,’ says Russo. ‘So then to do it and [win], it was special. I don’t think many best friends can say that they’ve done that.’
Growing up in Kent (Russo) and Greater Manchester (Toone), the pair first met around 10 years ago at training camps for England, and have spent the last three years playing together at Manchester United (Russo has since signed to Arsenal). They have the banter of longtime friends, calling each other ‘Less’ and ‘Tooney’. When I comment on a Northern tinge to Russo’s accent, Toone quips it is ‘from hanging around with me too much’.
Bringing football home last summer has come with an increased public profile. Both now have engaged social-media followings (Toone’s TikToks are particularly funny – watch the one about phoning her nan), and have received the scrutiny that comes with fame. ‘It’s been hard to get used to,’ admits Toone. She recently had a pitch named after her, close to where she grew up. ‘It was a “pinch me” moment,’ she says. ‘It’s really nice that the Lionesses can give back to local communities. Mine is in a very special place and, hopefully, a lot of people will start their journeys [there].’
As the first generation of women footballers to gain this level of fame, they have experienced sexism. ‘You do get little things here and there,’ she says. ‘But it doesn’t really faze us. We’ve grown up in an era when women’s football, especially when we were young, was not really a thing. So I feel it has made us who we are today and made us a bit tougher.’
Their appearance is also scrutinised – with any particularly fashionable elements remarked upon. ‘There’s definitely a stereotype around [players],’ says Toone. ‘But having your nails and lashes done doesn’t mean that you can’t play football.’ Both Toone and Russo enjoy dressing up for shoots and events, although – as Russo says – there are limitations. Heels have to be worn infrequently, ‘because they kill our feet’.
As for their recent tournament wins, they’re taking no chances, leaning into their superstitions as well as the training. ‘I always have the same meal [before a match] – eggs, bagel, orange juice,’ says Toone. ‘I also wear the same knickers and sports bra.’ ‘I like to listen to the same playlist,’ adds Russo. ‘And then I always jump seven times just before kickoff. I don’t know where it started, but it’s just stuck.’
England fans will be hoping those jumps – and the good fortune they bring – continue all the way to the final.
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