Alessia Russo chats with David Beckham as England aim to inspire next generation
In the build-up to the 2023 Women's World Cup, Adidas has brought together two icons of the game in Lioness Alessia Russo and former England international David Beckham.
The two sat down for a captivating discussion about the growth of women's football ahead of this summer's tournament in Australia and New Zealand and they discussed a range of topics, including Russo's iconic backheel at the Euros and how Sarina Wiegman's side are inspiring the next generation.
Adidas' new campaign, which celebrates the FIFA Women's World Cup, features both Russo and Beckham alongside other notable figures like Jenna Ortega and Lionel Messi. Beckham offered some valuable insight into what it's like to play at a World Cup and also thanked Russo for inspiring his daughter, Harper Seven.
He said: “Obviously, the conversation (with Harper) this morning was about me meeting you and getting your autograph – which of course I must do after by the way. But for you to inspire a new generation of footballers - boys, girls, and my daughter, I want to say thank you for that. Enjoy it. It’s going to be the most amazing moment of your life landing in Australia and New Zealand and just knowing you have a whole nation behind you, supporting you.”
"That's so nice to hear," Russo responded. "Those are the stories that make everything worthwhile."
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One of the most iconic moments at last summer's Euros was the forward's audacious backheel against Sweden in the semi-finals. When asked by Beckham to talk through that goal, Russo admitted it's something she doesn't think she'll ever be able to do again.
She said: "No, never (done it before) and I don't think I'll ever do it again. I don't know where it came from.
"I think after some freestylers followed me on Instagram and I thought that is just not me as a player whatsoever, I think they got the wrong end of the stick! That's one thing that made the summer so incredible was every player felt like they could play with that kind of freedom and show a bit of personality."
The Lionesses begin their World Cup campaign against Haiti on July 22 before they also take on Denmark and China in group D. Wiegman's side will hope to go a step further after winning the Euros last summer and add even more silverware to their collection.
Beckham himself is an England icon with 115 caps and he is the only English player to have scored in three separate World Cups.
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