Alex Scott (footballer, born 1984) facts for kids
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Scott in 2019
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Alexandra Virina Scott | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 14 October 1984 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | London, England | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 4 in (1.63 m) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Right-back | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1992–1999 | Arsenal | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2004 | Arsenal | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2005 | Birmingham City | 15 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2009 | Arsenal | 72 | (6) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2011 | Boston Breakers | 55 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2018 | Arsenal | 76 | (6) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 218 | (15) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2017 | England | 140 | (12) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2012 | Great Britain | 5 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Alexandra Virina Scott is an English sports presenter and former professional footballer. She was born on October 14, 1984. Alex played as a right-back, a defensive position in football. Since 2021, she has been the main presenter of Football Focus.
Alex Scott played for Arsenal three times during her club career. She also played for Birmingham City and the Boston Breakers in the United States. She scored the winning goal for Arsenal in the 2007 UEFA Women's Cup final. For her country, she played 140 games for the England national team. She also represented Great Britain at the 2012 Summer Olympics. In 2019, Alex was added to the English Football Hall of Fame. She also joined the WSL Hall of Fame in 2024.
After she stopped playing football, Alex became a sports pundit and presenter. She worked for BBC Sport and Sky Sports. She helped cover big events like the 2018 FIFA World Cup and 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup. Alex also co-presented shows like The One Show and Goals on Sunday. She later focused mainly on the BBC. There, she became a co-host for the annual Sports Personality of the Year ceremony. She also presented coverage of the Summer Olympics. In 2021, she took over as the main presenter of Football Focus.
Contents
Early Life and Background
Alexandra Virina Scott was born in Poplar, London. Her birthday is October 14, 1984. Her mother is from Northern Ireland and has English and Lithuanian-Jewish heritage. Her father is Jamaican.
In 2021, Alex learned more about her family history on the BBC show Who Do You Think You Are?. She found out her great-grandfather was Jewish and fought against fascism in East London. She also learned that one of her ancestors was a black man who owned slaves.
Alex went to Langdon Park School. This school is known for its sports programs. In 2022, Alex wrote a book about her life. She said that all the money from her book would go to help women who have faced difficult situations.
Playing Football for Clubs
Starting in England
Alex Scott joined Arsenal when she was eight years old in 1992. She first played as a striker or a right winger. Later, she became a full-back, a defensive player. Alex stayed with Arsenal until the 2004–05 season. Then, she moved to Birmingham City. With Alex on the team, Birmingham City finished fourth in the league.
However, due to money problems at Birmingham, she went back to Arsenal for the 2005–06 season. When she returned to Arsenal, Alex helped the team win two major trophies. They won the FA Women's Premier League and the FA Women's Cup.
She was also a key player when Arsenal won all four of their competitions in one season. This included the 2006–07 UEFA Women's Cup. Arsenal was the first British team to win this European competition. Alex scored the only goal in the final against Umeå IK. She played in 22 league games that season and scored two goals. Overall, she played 40 games and scored four goals.
In the 2007–08 season, Alex played in 21 games and scored one goal. She made 35 appearances in all competitions, scoring three goals. For the 2008–09 season, Alex scored once in 13 games. She played 24 games in total, adding two goals.
Playing in the United States
A new women's football league started in the United States called Women's Professional Soccer. In 2008, it was announced that Alex would play for the Chicago Red Stars. However, her playing rights were traded to the Boston Breakers in 2009. She then left Arsenal to join her new team.
In the first season of the WPS in 2009, Alex played in 17 games for the Breakers. She scored one goal and made one assist. In 2010, Alex played in 21 games and made two assists. She started 14 of her 15 matches in 2011. In December 2011, Alex returned to Arsenal for a short time. This was for a pre-season tour in Japan.
Returning to England
The WPS league stopped before the 2012 season. So, Alex came back to Arsenal for her third time. Her teammate from Boston Breakers, Kelly Smith, also joined her. Alex was made captain for the 2014–15 season. She did not play in the 2015 FA WSL Cup final, where Arsenal won against Notts County.
In the next season, Alex helped Arsenal reach the 2016 FA Women's Cup final against Chelsea. The Gunners won that game 1–0. Alex played her last game on May 12, 2018. Arsenal won that match against Manchester City 2–1.
Playing for England
England National Team
Alex Scott played for England's national youth teams. This included the Under-19 and Under-21 levels. She also played in the 2002 FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship in Canada.
Alex made her first appearance for the senior England team on September 18, 2004. This was in a game against the Netherlands. She played in many major tournaments for England. These included the 2005, 2009, 2013, and 2017 European Championships. She also played in the 2007, 2011, and 2015 FIFA Women's World Cups.
She won a silver medal at the 2009 UEFA Women's Euros. She also won a bronze medal at the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. In November 2014, Alex accidentally scored an own goal against Germany. England lost that game 3–0 at Wembley Stadium.
On September 2, 2017, Alex Scott announced her retirement from international football. At that time, she was the second most-capped England player. She had played 140 games for her country.
Great Britain Olympic Team
In June 2012, Alex was chosen for the 18-player Great Britain squad. This team played in the 2012 Summer Olympics. The British team finished in 5th place at the tournament.
Career in Media
Alex Scott started her media career while she was still playing football. She appeared on shows like Soccer AM. She also had small roles at BBC Sport, BT Sport, and Sky Sports. She wrote a weekly column about women's football for the Morning Star newspaper. She also wrote a column for The Independent during the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
In 2016, she was on Bear Grylls' ITV show, Mission Survive. She ended up winning the show.
After she retired from football in 2017, Alex focused fully on television. She co-presented Match of the Day Kickabout. She became well-known when she covered the 2018 FIFA World Cup. She was the first female football pundit for the BBC at a World Cup. After the tournament, she continued to share her thoughts on the Premier League. In August 2018, she became the first female pundit on Sky Sports. She joined the Super Sunday team. She also covered the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup for the BBC.
In August 2019, Alex was announced as the new co-host of Sky Sports' Goals on Sunday. She hosted it alongside Chris Kamara. Since 2020, Alex has regularly co-hosted the annual BBC Sports Personality of the Year ceremony. Alex is also a guest presenter on The One Show.
In September 2019, Alex was a contestant on the 17th series of Strictly Come Dancing. She was paired with professional dancer Neil Jones. She was the first female footballer to take part in the show. The couple was eliminated in week 11, finishing in fifth place.
| Week No. | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Total | Result | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horwood | Mabuse | Ballas | Tonioli | ||||
| 1 | Quickstep/ "I Get a Kick Out of You" | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 21 | No Elimination |
| 2 | Cha cha cha / "What I Did for Love" | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 22 | Safe |
| 3 | Rumba/ "How Far I'll Go" | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 23 | Safe |
| 4 | Tango/ "Go Your Own Way" | 4 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 23 | Safe |
| 5 | Charleston / "Pump Up the Jam" | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 33 | Safe |
| 6 | Street / "Ghostbusters" | 7 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 34 | Safe |
| 7 | American Smooth / "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 31 | Safe |
| 8 | Jive / "Let's Twist Again" | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 31 | Safe |
| 9 | Paso Doble / "Run the World (Girls)" | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 34 | Safe |
| 10 | Argentine Tango / "Never Tear Us Apart" | 4 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 26 | Safe |
| 11 | Samba / "Joyful Joyful" | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 27 | Eliminated |
Alex has often spoken about the unfair comments she gets online. These comments are sometimes because she is a female football pundit.
In May 2021, Alex was announced as the new presenter of Football Focus. She took over after Dan Walker stepped down. In July 2021, Alex was named the host of a new BBC quiz show called The Tournament. This show started airing in November. That same month, Alex was announced as a commentator for the EA Sports game FIFA 22. She was also a main presenter for the BBC's coverage of the 2020 Summer Olympics. She presented the Opening and Closing ceremonies and a nightly highlights show.
Alex took part in the show Who Do You Think You Are? in 2021. Her episode was shown on October 26, 2021.
During the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Alex wore a special armband. This armband supported LGBTQ+ rights. She wore it while reporting on the England–Iran match. This was after some teams were told not to wear it.
In March 2023, Gary Lineker was temporarily suspended from Match of the Day. This was for comments he made about government policy. Alex showed her support for him. She indicated she would not present the next episode of the show.
In June 2023, Alex was in a national advertisement for WhatsApp. The campaign was called A Private Message. Alex starred alongside Ted Lasso actor Karen Johal. WhatsApp used Alex to help promote their new secure messaging services.
Personal Life and Achievements
In 2011, Alex Scott started the Alex Scott Academy. She partnered with Kingston College and Puma. This academy was for female footballers aged 16–19 years. It was the first academy of its kind in the UK. It was created to help grow women's football.
While playing for Arsenal, Alex earned a degree. It was in Professional Sports Writing and Broadcasting from Staffordshire University. She received an honorary doctorate from the University of Hertfordshire in 2021. She also received an honorary fellowship from the Queen Mary University of London.
Alex Scott was given the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) award in 2017. This was for her contributions to football. She invited her mother, grandmother, and niece to the ceremony. She also surprised them with afternoon tea at The Ritz. Her book, How (Not) To Be Strong, was published on September 29, 2022.
Career Statistics
International Goals
Scores and results list England's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Scott goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 October 2005 | Tapolca Stadium, Tapolca, Hungary |  Hungary |
4–0 | 13–0 | 2007 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2 | 6–0 | |||||
| 3 | 11 May 2006 | St. Mary's, Southampton, England | Hungary |
2–0 | 2–0 | |
| 4 | 25 October 2006 | Waldstadion, Ahlen, Germany |  Germany |
1–0 | 1–5 | Friendly |
| 5 | 8 March 2007 | National Hockey Stadium, Milton Keynes, England |  Russia |
1–0 | 6–0 | |
| 6 | 28 January 2007 | Guangdong Olympic Stadium, Guangzhou, China |  United States |
1–1 | 1–1 | 2007 Four Nations Tournament |
| 7 | 27 October 2007 | Bescot Stadium, Walsall, England |  Belarus |
1–0 | 4–0 | 2009 UEFA Championship qualification |
| 8 | 4–0 | |||||
| 9 | 26 November 2009 | Buca Arena, İzmir, Turkey |  Turkey |
1–0 | 3–0 | 2011 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 10 | 1 March 2010 | GSP Stadium, Nicosia, Cyprus |  Italy |
1–0 | 3–2 | 2010 Cyprus Cup |
| 11 | 2–0 | |||||
| 12 | 21 August 2010 | Sepp-Doll-Stadion, Krems, Austria |  Austria |
3–0 | 4–0 | 2011 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Honours and Awards
Arsenal
- FA WSL: 2012
- FA WSL Cup: 2012, 2013, 2015, 2018
- FA Women's Premier League: 2003–04, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09
- FA Cup: 2003–04, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2015–16
- FA Women's Premier League Cup: 2006–07, 2008–09
- Women's FA Community Shield: 2006, 2008
- UEFA Women's Cup: 2006–07
England
- FIFA Women's World Cup third place: 2015
- UEFA Women's Championship runner-up: 2009
- Cyprus Cup: 2009, 2013, 2015
Individual
- Women's Super League Hall of Fame: 2024
Orders and special awards
- 2017: Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)
- 2023: The Sport Award
See also
In Spanish: Alex Scott para niños
- List of England women's international footballers
- List of football personalities with British honours
- List of Strictly Come Dancing contestants
- List of women's footballers with 100 or more international caps
