Alessia Russo honoured by Canterbury Christ Church University

England star Alessia Russo has been awarded an honorary doctorate by Canterbury Christ Church University.

The Manchester United forward, who was born in Maidstone, received the award during a ceremony at Canterbury Cathedral on Friday.

The university said the award was for her work inspiring other women and girls to take up football.

Ms Russo said Canterbury was a place that would always "hold a special place in my heart".

"It's home of a lot of sports, and I used to come down as a little girl to compete here," she said.

"It's nice to come back to these places because it's where you remember all your fond memories from when you were young."

Ms Russo signed for Brighton and Hove Albion in 2017 and made seven appearances in the Women's Championship.

The footballer returned to Kent last week to speak at a school in Tonbridge about women's football.

"I got involved with one of their PE sessions. That stuff is what fills me with a lot of joy," she said.

"Being a footballer, you have a lot of responsibility on the pitch, but off the pitch when you can do stuff like that, [it] means a lot."

After a spell in the US, she returned to play for Manchester United, which currently sits at the top of the Women's Super League table.

The 23-year-old also scored four goals as England won the European Championships in the summer of 2022.

Russo's backheel goal in the semi-final of the competition against Sweden was nominated for the Fifa Puskas award, which will be decided on 27 February.

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