Exclusive: England legend Rachel Yankey opens up on emotions, Alessia Russo and Arsenal’s quadruple | OneFootball

Arsenal hero and Olympian Rachel Yankey is one of the most legendary footballers in modern history. The word legend is criminally overused within the context of sport, but in Yankey’s case, it’s entirely applicable.

In this exclusive interview, Yankey goes into great depth about her emotional highs and hopes for the sport’s future. She also discloses which player from today’s current generation she would most want to play alongside.

Yankey wore the No. 11 shirt for Arsenal during their iconic 2007 UEFA Women’s Cup run (now known as the Women’s Champions League). She is also widely considered one of England’s greatest ever players.

Yankey managed 19 goals in 129 England appearances, more than David Beckham or Steph Houghton. Throw in five appearances at the 2012 Olympics and 11 FA Cup titles, along with countless other trophies, and you have yourself a legend.

The dream partnership in an alternate reality

When tasked with who from the current generation of stars she would like to have played with, Yankey paused in deep thought momentarily.

“Alessia Russo.”

The answer was spoken with complete confidence as Yankey began to make comparisons of Alessia Russo’s game to England hero Ellen White.

“She brings people into the game so efficiently, she makes so many plays whilst holding up the ball,” Yankey told Her Football Hub. “Much like Ellen White did, she was a joy to play with, and Russo gives that same energy. But I think throughout her career, she’ll get more goals than Ellen did”.

It’s a bold statement from Yankey, but objectively, you can see where the WSL Hall of Famer is coming from.

Alessia Russo of England runs with the ball during the UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 match against France in Zurich, Switzerland. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)

It’s been around five years since Russo made her England debut, and she has 23 goals to show for it. That’s 29 short of White’s England career total, and Russo’s still just 26 years of age.

Yankey continued to praise the Arsenal forward.

“In terms of her wide style of play, she’s so exciting to watch. As a wide player, it’s such an exciting prospect to play with someone who can dictate the play the way she does. I’d love to have had the opportunity to help her get more goals and be there to take a pass. I’d loved to have been able to play on the same team as her.”

How frustration may have led to one of Yankey’s most important goals

The conversation began to take a turn towards the past. There are so many memorable moments of Yankey’s career that deserve hours of introspection. We, however, decided to focus on the emotion of a centrepiece.

“Throughout my career, I definitely played on emotion,” Yankey admitted. “In 2011, though, there is a moment that sticks out. It was the League Cup final against Birmingham. We were winning the game, and I wanted a goal. Jayne Ludlow put a pass across to me, and it bobbled. It was a bad pass.

Rachel Yankey scores a spectacular fourth goal during the FA Continental Cup Final between Birmingham City and Arsenal. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

“I was so disappointed and angry that it bobbled. I wanted it to feet. And because it wasn’t what I wanted, I just thought, ‘I’ll need to take a touch now.’ So I did. I just chipped it up for myself and then hit it in frustration. The thing is, it went in and it was a great goal.”

Arsenal labelled Yankey’s effort as a goal of the season contender. The Gunners went on to win the final 4-1, with goals from Ludlow, White and a Yankey brace.

“That amazing moment definitely came from emotion,” Yankey confirmed proudly.

‘We didn’t give ourselves enough praise for winning the UWCL’

Arsenal recently won the Champions League against Barcelona in an historic 1-0 victory. But it’s not the first time the London club have been the best in Europe. In fact, they are the only English champions in the tournament’s history.

In 2007, Arsenal ran out 1-0 winners against a stacked Umeå side that included the likes of Marta and Ramona Bachmann in what was then known as the UEFA Women’s Cup.

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Yankey recalls the immensity of that season: “We actually won the quadruple that season, which has never been done since. And honestly, I don’t think we were really given enough credit. We didn’t even give ourselves enough credit, we just went on to the next thing without really stopping to appreciate just quite what we had done.”

There is absolutely no doubt that if an achievement like that had been done today, the world would stop for at least a few days in the sporting universe. Credit has since been retrospectively gained, with many of the players involved having royal honours. That includes Yankey herself, who is now an OBE and MBE for services to football.

Women’s football is unique, and the connection to charity is a natural step

Not only has Yankey been spending her time cheering on the Lionesses at Euro 2025 alongside selflessly facilitating children finding a safe space in football through her foundation, but she’s also been advocating for a unique charity.

You may have noticed the fun Cats Protection adverts running alongside the Euro 2025 coverage on ITV. Well, if you hadn’t already, you will now recognise the voice of Rachel Yankey within that campaign.

“I’ve always loved animals,” the Olympian professed. “The number of people actually rehoming cats as opposed to buying from breeders or online is staggeringly low. I was so surprised when I found out — it’s shocking really.”

Cats Protection is the UK’s leading cat welfare charity. Each year, the charity helps over 150,000 cats and kittens find a new home. The charity looks to speak up for cats at a national level, rescuing strays, rehoming pets and offering vital veterinary care and support.

This was something that Yankey was more than happy to get involved with.

“I just think that if lending my voice can help in any way, maybe someone watches the advert and adopts a cat or raises some funds, then it’s worth it.

“It makes sense for Cats Protection to target the Euro campaign, women’s football has a very unique and caring fanbase. The UK is also a hugely animal-loving place, so hopefully this can, in a small way, help connect the two and do some good.”

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