Alexandra Virina Scott (born 14 October 1984) is an English sports presenter, pundit and former professional footballer who played as a right-back. She has been the presenter for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) since her retirement.
At club level, Scott has had three separate spells with Arsenal, punctuated with a season at Birmingham City in the 2004–05 season and three years in the American Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) with the Boston Breakers. She scored the winning goal for Arsenal in the 2007 UEFA Women's Cup final. At international level, she made 140 appearances for the England national team and represented Great Britain at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Scott was inducted to the English Football Hall of Fame in 2019, and was inducted to the WSL Hall of Fame in 2024.
After retirement, Scott went into punditry, simultaneously working for BBC Sport and Sky Sports. In this role, she covered the 2018 FIFA World Cup and 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup. Scott also began co-presenting shows such as The One Show and Goals on Sunday, before primarily working for the BBC, where she became co-host of the annual Sports Personality of the Year ceremony and presented coverage of the Summer Olympics. In 2021, she was named the main presenter of Football Focus, succeeding Dan Walker, and becoming the show's final presenter until its closure in May 2026.
Alexandra Virina Scott was born on 14 October 1984 in Poplar, London, to an English mother and a Jamaican father. Her maternal grandfather came to England from Northern Ireland, and her maternal grandmother was of Lithuanian-Jewish heritage. During the filming of the BBC's Who Do You Think You Are? in 2021, she discovered that her Jewish maternal great-grandfather had opposed fascism in East London, taking part in the Battle of Cable Street, and that her four times great-grandfather was a black man who owned twenty-six slaves.
Scott attended Langdon Park School which has been granted Sports College status.
In 2022, Scott revealed in her autobiography that she had been a victim of domestic abuse from her father during her childhood; she pledged that all proceeds from her book would go to help women affected by similar abuse.
Scott signed on with Arsenal in 1992, at the age of eight. After breaking into the first team as a striker or right winger, she was later converted to full-back. Scott remained with Arsenal until the 2004–05 season, after which she moved to Birmingham City. With the addition of Scott, the club finished fourth in the FA Women's Premier League National Division. However, due to Birmingham's financial difficulties, she returned to Arsenal for the 2005–06 season.
Upon rejoining Arsenal, Scott helped the club to a domestic double of the FA Women's Premier League and FA Women's Cup. She was also a key figure in Arsenal's historic "Quadruple" season in which they won all of their trophy competitions, including the 2006–07 UEFA Women's Cup. Arsenal were the first ever British side to win the competition, with Scott scoring the only goal in the two-legged tie with Umeå IK. She appeared in 22 Premier League games, scoring two goals. In all competitions, she made 40 appearances and scored four goals.
The 2007–08 season saw Scott appear in 21 games, scoring once. In all competitions, she made 35 appearances, scoring three goals. In the 2008–09 season, Scott scored once in 13 games. In all competitions, she made 24 appearances, adding two goals.
Upon the creation of a new women's league in the United States, Women's Professional Soccer, it was announced on 25 September 2008 that her WPS playing rights had been assigned to the Chicago Red Stars, whose head coach was former Arsenal assistant Emma Hayes. Her rights were traded on 15 January 2009 to the Boston Breakers and it was announced on 6 February 2009 that she would be leaving Arsenal to join up with her new team.
In the inaugural 2009 Women's Professional Soccer season, Scott played in 17 games for the Breakers. She scored one goal and added one assist. In 2010, Scott featured in 21 games and registered two assists. She started 14 of her 15 matches in 2011. In December 2011, Scott returned to Arsenal on loan for the duration of a three-match pre-season tour of Japan.
When the WPS collapsed ahead of the 2012 campaign, Scott returned for a third spell at Arsenal. She was joined by Boston Breakers teammate Kelly Smith. Scott was named captain for the 2014–15 season. She did not take part in the 2015 FA WSL Cup final, where Arsenal beat Notts County. In the following season, Scott helped take Arsenal to the 2016 FA Women's Cup final against Chelsea, which the Gunners won 1–0. Scott played her last game on 12 May 2018 against Manchester City, which Arsenal won 2–1.
Scott competed at the U19 and U21 levels for England, including at the 2002 FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship in Canada.
Scott made her full debut against the Netherlands on 18 September 2004. She played in the 2005, 2009, 2013 and 2017 editions of the UEFA Women's Championship, as well as the 2007, 2011 and 2015 FIFA Women's World Cups. She won silver at the 2009 UEFA Women's Euros and bronze at the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup.
In November 2014, Scott headed powerfully past her own goalkeeper to give Germany the lead in England's crushing 3–0 defeat at Wembley Stadium.
On 2 September 2017, Scott retired from international football. On the date of retirement, she ended up as the second most capped England player with 140 appearances.
Scott was allotted 155 when the FA announced their legacy numbers scheme to honour the 50th anniversary of England's inaugural international.
In June 2012, Scott was named in the 18-player Great Britain squad for the 2012 Summer Olympics, where the British team finished 5th.