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 (born 14 October 1984) is a well-known English sports presenter, commentator, and former professional footballer. She played as a right-back during her football career. Since 2021, she has been the main presenter of Football Focus.
Alex Scott played for Arsenal three times during her club career. She also spent a season with Birmingham City and three years playing in the United States for the Boston Breakers. A highlight of her career was scoring the winning goal for Arsenal in the 2007 UEFA Women's Cup final. For her country, she played 140 matches 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 retiring from playing, Alex became a popular sports commentator and TV presenter.
Contents
Who is Alex Scott?
Alex Scott is a famous name in English football and television. She is known for her amazing career as a footballer. She also has a successful career as a sports presenter. She inspires many young people with her achievements.
Early Life and Football Beginnings
Alexandra Virina Scott was born on 14 October 1984 in Poplar, London. Her mother is English and her father is Jamaican. Alex attended Langdon Park School, which is known for its sports programs.
Alex started her football journey with Arsenal at just eight years old in 1992. She first played as a striker or right winger. Later, she became a full-back, a defensive position.
Playing for Clubs
Arsenal and Birmingham City
Alex stayed with Arsenal until the 2004–05 season. She then moved to Birmingham City. With Alex on the team, Birmingham City finished fourth in the league. Due to financial issues at Birmingham, she returned to Arsenal for the 2005–06 season.
Back at Arsenal, Alex helped the team win both the league and the FA Women's Cup. She was also a key player when Arsenal won all their competitions in one season. This included the 2006–07 UEFA Women's Cup. Arsenal was the first British team to win this important European competition. Alex scored the only goal in the final against Umeå IK.
Adventure in the USA
In 2009, Alex moved to the United States to play in a new league. She joined the Boston Breakers in the Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) league. She played 17 games in her first season, scoring one goal. She continued to play for the Breakers until 2011.
Back to Arsenal
When the WPS league ended in 2012, Alex returned to Arsenal for her third time. She became team captain for the 2014–15 season. Alex helped Arsenal win the 2016 FA Women's Cup final against Chelsea. Arsenal won the match 1–0. She played her final game on 12 May 2018 against Manchester City, which Arsenal won 2–1.
Representing England and Great Britain
Alex Scott played for England at different youth levels. She represented her country in the U19 and U21 teams. Her full debut for the England national team was on 18 September 2004 against the Netherlands.
She played in many major tournaments for England. These included the UEFA Women's Championship in 2005, 2009, 2013, and 2017. She also played in the FIFA Women's World Cup in 2007, 2011, and 2015. Alex won a silver medal at the 2009 UEFA Women's Euros. She also earned a bronze medal at the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup.
On 2 September 2017, Alex retired from international football. She finished her England career with an impressive 140 appearances. This made her the second most capped England player at the time.
In 2012, Alex was chosen for the Great Britain squad. She played in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. The British team finished in 5th place at the tournament.
Life After Playing: Media Star
Even while playing football, Alex started her media career. She appeared on shows like Soccer AM. After retiring in 2017, she focused fully on television. She became a co-presenter on Match of the Day Kickabout.
Alex became widely known when she covered the 2018 FIFA World Cup. She was the first female football commentator at a World Cup for the BBC. 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.
Since 2020, Alex has been a regular co-host for the annual BBC Sports Personality of the Year ceremony. She is also a guest presenter on The One Show. In May 2021, she was announced as the new presenter of Football Focus. She also hosted a new BBC quiz show, The Tournament, which started in November 2021. In July 2021, Alex became 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.
In June 2023, Alex was featured in a national advertisement for WhatsApp. The campaign highlighted secure messaging services.
Awards and Achievements
In 2011, Alex founded the Alex Scott Academy. This was in partnership with Kingston College and Puma. It was the first academy of its kind in the UK for female footballers aged 16–19. This showed the growing importance of women's football.
While playing for Arsenal, Alex earned a degree in Professional Sports Writing and Broadcasting. She studied at Staffordshire University. She later 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 awarded the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2017. This was for her great contributions to football. She celebrated this special moment with her mother, grandmother, and niece. Her memoir, How (Not) To Be Strong, was published on 29 September 2022.
Honours
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
- FA Women's 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
