England hero Alessia Russo has come from only girl in Under 8s to World Cup final

England striker Alessia Russo has gone from the only girl in an under-eights’ team in Kent to the brink of World Cup glory.

The 24-year-old scored the third goal in the 3-1 victory over Australia in front of 75,000 fans in Sydney on Wednesday to set up a final against Spain on Sunday. It is a far cry from her first efforts at West Farleigh Sports Club near Maidstone. Club chairman Paul Baines said it was “amazing” to see one of their own leading the line for the Lionesses going into a World Cup final.

He told the Standard: “We are so proud of her, as we are of all our young players. It was really special to see her score such a crucial goal, shooting across the goalkeeper as we teach all our players to do.

“She is so talented. When she played here she was in a boys’ team and she was better than all the boys. She had to be to prove she could cut it.

“She is an amazing talent and probably one of the first names on the England team sheet. There’s huge pride for what she has achieved.”

She helped Farleigh to win the Kent Weald cup. A picture from the time shows her proudly wearing a winners’ medal.

Mr Baines added: “When Alessia was about 15 she asked if she could come back to train on our pitch as she lived nearby. It was a privilege to see her doing her drills and working so hard. Little did I know that those sessions were part of a progression to leading the England front line.

“When she asked if it was okay to use the pitch, she was so polite and down to earth. It’s great to see her on the big stage.”

Russo — known to her family as Lessi in a nod to Lionel Messi — recently joined Arsenal from Manchester United where she was on £60,000 and has deals with the likes of Adidas and Gucci.