Mariona Caldentey and Alessia Russo have made compelling cases for individual recognition after another influential season for Arsenal, with both players contributing at club and international level.
Their statistics highlight two different forms of attacking influence. Caldentey has been central to Arsenal’s ability to progress possession, connect midfield with attack and create opportunities, while Russo has combined consistent goalscoring with an ability to bring teammates into play and deliver in decisive moments.
Across all competitions in the supplied 2025/26 match logs, Caldentey recorded eight goals and eight assists in 43 appearances, while Russo registered 27 goals and 13 assists in 45 appearances. Their contributions also extended to the international stage, with Caldentey helping Spain reach the UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 final and Russo playing a key role in England’s successful title defence.
Mariona Caldentey: The creative force behind Arsenal’s attack
Caldentey’s influence cannot be measured through goals and assists alone. Her numbers in the Barclays Women’s Super League reveal a player who has helped dictate where Arsenal play, how they progress the ball and how frequently their possession becomes a threat.
She completed 1,025 passes in the opposition half during the 2025/26 BWSL campaign, 335 more than any other player. She was also involved in 145 open-play sequences that ended in a shot, the highest total in the division, and carried the ball a combined 3,915 metres, more than any other midfielder.
Together, those figures illustrate the breadth of her contribution. Caldentey is not simply receiving possession in advanced areas and looking for the final pass. She helps Arsenal move the ball into dangerous territory, carries it forward herself and participates in the combinations that create shooting opportunities.
Her passing volume in the opposition half is particularly revealing. It points to her importance in sustaining attacks and finding ways through defensive blocks, while her involvement in shot-ending sequences demonstrates how often she features in moves that threaten the opposition goal.
The distance she carried the ball adds another dimension. Rather than relying exclusively on passing to advance play, Caldentey can also move Arsenal up the pitch herself, helping the team progress when passing lanes are restricted.
This combination of passing, carrying and creative involvement makes her influence difficult to capture through traditional attacking statistics alone.
More than a goals and assists midfielder
Caldentey finished the BWSL season with four goals and four assists in 22 appearances, according to FBref. Those figures are more modest than Russo’s attacking return, but they do not tell the full story of her importance to Arsenal.
Her role has often involved creating the conditions for other players to make the decisive contribution. By helping Arsenal progress into the opposition half and participate in moves that finish with a shot, she contributes to attacking sequences that may not result in a direct goal involvement for her personally.
Her importance is also reflected in Arsenal’s collective performance. The Gunners scored nine goals following high turnovers, the most in the division, demonstrating their ability to turn defensive pressure into attacking opportunities. Caldentey’s contribution to their wider possession game complemented that threat, giving Arsenal different ways to advance and create chances.
Arsenal also finished with the fewest goals conceded in the league, allowing just 14 across their 22 matches. Although that achievement belongs to the team, it provides context for the environment in which Caldentey operated: a side capable of controlling possession, creating pressure and limiting the opposition’s opportunities.
Arsenal’s ability to sustain attacks was particularly important across a demanding campaign. They recorded 28 wins in 41 matches across all competitions, the joint-highest number of appearances among BWSL clubs and the most victories. Caldentey’s technical quality and consistency helped them maintain their attacking rhythm across domestic and European competition.
Delivering for Spain
Caldentey’s influence was equally evident for Spain at EURO 2025, where she scored twice and provided two assists across six appearances as her country reached the final.
She scored against Belgium in the group stage before opening the scoring against England in the final. Spain ultimately lost on penalties, but Caldentey’s contribution across the tournament demonstrated her ability to influence matches against different opposition and under significant pressure.
Her international performances also reflected her versatility. Listed in forward roles during the European Championship, she was deployed in central midfield for Spain’s 2026 World Cup qualifying fixtures. She registered assists in the wins over Iceland and Ukraine, underlining her ability to contribute from deeper areas as well as in advanced positions.
That adaptability strengthens her individual case. Caldentey can influence a game through her movement and attacking instincts, but she can also help control possession and create opportunities from midfield. Her value lies in being able to perform both functions without losing the technical quality that makes her such an important part of Spain’s and Arsenal’s attacking play.
Alessia Russo: A goalscorer who delivers consistently
Where Caldentey’s influence is reflected in Arsenal’s progression and creativity, Russo’s case begins with her outstanding goalscoring return.
The England international scored 13 goals in the BWSL during 2025/26, surpassing her previous best league total of 12 goals in each of the two preceding seasons. She also provided six assists, taking her combined league contribution to 19 goals and assists in 22 appearances.
Her goalscoring rate of 0.64 per 90 minutes, recorded by FBref, illustrates the regularity with which she found the net. Her 13 league goals were also accompanied by 12 non-penalty goals, showing that her output was not dependent on penalties.
Russo’s away record was particularly impressive. She scored eight goals on the road, more than any other player in the division, and registered five away assists, the second-highest total. She became the first Arsenal player to score or assist in six consecutive away league appearances, recording five goals and four assists across that run.
That sequence is significant because away matches often require forwards to be effective in different circumstances. They may have fewer opportunities to attack open spaces, face sustained pressure from the home side or need to make the most of limited possession. Russo’s ability to contribute goals and assists across six consecutive away fixtures demonstrates that her influence was not restricted to matches in which Arsenal dominated.
Her combination of finishing and creativity also makes her more than a conventional penalty-box striker. The six league assists show that she can contribute to the scoring of others, while her movement and ability to link play help Arsenal turn possession into clear opportunities.
A threat across competitions
Russo’s overall match log reinforces the scale of her contribution. Across 45 appearances in all competitions, she recorded 27 goals and 13 assists.
Her goals came in a variety of competitions and against different levels of opposition. She scored twice against West Ham in the league, recorded a hat-trick against Tottenham and scored twice away to Liverpool on the final day of the BWSL season. In the UEFA Women’s Champions League, she scored against Real Madrid, Lyon and Chelsea, among others.
That spread of goals matters. It demonstrates that her threat extended beyond one competition or a particular run of fixtures, with Russo continuing to produce against domestic and European opponents.
Her performance against Tottenham was a particularly striking example of her finishing ability, as she scored three times in Arsenal’s 5–2 victory. The two goals against Liverpool on the final day also helped underline her importance during the closing stages of the league campaign.
Russo’s record is further strengthened by her consistency across the season. Her 13 league goals represented a new personal best, while her six assists showed that her attacking contribution extended beyond finishing moves. Together, those figures make a compelling case for a forward capable of influencing matches in more than one way.
From European champions to World Cup qualifying
Russo’s international performances added further weight to her season. At EURO 2025, she scored twice and supplied three assists across England’s six matches as the Lionesses retained their European title.
Her contribution against the Netherlands was particularly notable. Russo assisted all three goals in England’s 4–0 group-stage victory, demonstrating her ability to create opportunities as well as finish them.
She also scored England’s equaliser in the final against Spain, helping force the match towards a penalty shootout that the Lionesses eventually won. The goal was another example of her ability to make an impact in a high-pressure match, against the same opposition for whom Caldentey had opened the scoring.
Russo continued to deliver for England during the 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign. She scored twice in the 6–1 victory over Ukraine and found the net again in the 1–0 away win against Iceland. Across the four qualifying matches included in the supplied logs, she scored three goals and provided two assists.
Those performances illustrate how her club strengths translate to the international stage. Russo offers England a reliable goalscoring presence, but she can also create for teammates and contribute to the collective attacking structure. Her work across EURO 2025 and World Cup qualifying shows that her influence has continued beyond Arsenal’s domestic campaign.
Two different cases for individual recognition
Caldentey and Russo offer contrasting but complementary arguments for the Ballon d’Or Féminin.
Caldentey’s case is built around her influence on the flow of Arsenal’s attacking play. Her league-leading 1,025 passes in the opposition half, 145 open-play sequences ending in a shot and 3,915 metres carried by a midfielder demonstrate how frequently she helps the team progress and create. Her goals and assists add a decisive edge to a contribution that is already evident in the underlying numbers.
Russo’s case is more directly reflected in her attacking output. Her 13 BWSL goals and six assists, combined with 27 goals and 13 assists across all competitions in the supplied match logs, demonstrate the scale of her contribution. Her record away from home and her performances for England further underline her ability to produce in different environments.
Both players also contributed to Arsenal’s wider success. The team finished the BWSL campaign with just one defeat, conceded only 14 goals and collected 24 points away from home — the highest total in the division. Those results reflect a collective effort, but Caldentey’s influence on possession and Russo’s goalscoring were two important parts of Arsenal’s ability to compete consistently.
Their international performances provide another dimension to their cases. Caldentey helped Spain reach the EURO 2025 final and continued to contribute during World Cup qualifying, while Russo played a key role in England’s European Championship victory and maintained her scoring form in qualifying.
Ultimately, their nominations recognise different kinds of excellence. Caldentey’s numbers show how a midfielder can shape a team’s attacking identity without relying solely on direct goal contributions. Russo’s demonstrate how an elite forward can combine a prolific scoring record with creativity and decisive performances for club and country.
Both have produced seasons that extend beyond a single headline statistic and both have made significant contributions to Arsenal and their national teams.
