Lioness Alessia Russo could become first women footballer to be transferred for £1million

LIONESS Alessia Russo could become the first woman footballer to be transferred for £1million, her former coach believes.

Lee Spiller helped nurture the Man Utd star’s talent from age seven.

Now he has seen ­Alessia, 23, hit four goals for England in Euro 2022 — including a superb backheel against Sweden.

The current transfer fee record is £250,000 but Lee, 44, said: “She could be the first £1million player, definitely.

“I think she will be football’s answer to Emma Raducanu and will captain England in the future.”

“Emma became well known from Wimbledon last year and obviously winning the US Open.

"That backheel goal has really boosted Lessi’s profile.

“I used to tell her she’ll captain England one day and she would laugh. Her feet are firmly on the ground.

"But I think she will captain England in the future.”

Brand experts predict the Lionesses will boost their sponsorship value by up to six times — with Alessia rocketing from £1.3million to £4.5million.

Trevor Francis became Britain’s first £1million footballer in 1979 when he switched to Nottingham Forest from Birmingham.

Beth Mead, 27, is set to jump from £750,000 to £5million, branding expert Marcel Knobil said.