Alex Scott was one of the best women to play for the England national team during her pomp, now turning her hand to punditry where she has become a staple of the BBC’s line up, offering her insight into the game.
She has been a regular at the men’s World Cup and Euros, covering all the big games for the broadcaster, but it all could have gone wrong in Russia during the 2018 World Cup.
The former Arsenal defender admitted that an Uber driver threatened to kill her whilst travelling back to her hotel after socialising in her downtime during the busy schedule of a major tournament.
Alex Scott reveals Uber driver tried to kill her
Scott has released her memoir How (Not) To Be Strong, in which she details the horrifying encounter whilst working at the World Cup in Russia when the Uber driver that picked her up for a 15-minute journey looked like it could be her last.
She claimed she had been to meet a friend of hers for a drink before getting the 15-minute taxi ride back to her hotel, but she noticed a moment when her driver, ‘a stacked bald man, stocky, and wearing a grin on his face’, turned.
In the book, Scott delved into the hair-raising moment she thought she was going to die: “He looked at me and said – in English – ‘Tell them they will never see you again.’ ‘I don’t understand,’ I stammered.
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DOHA, QATAR - NOVEMBER 29: BBC commentator Alex Scott reacts prior to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group B match between Wales and England at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium on November 29, 2022 in Doha, Qatar. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)
“My Uber driver picked up his phone and spoke into it, waiting for me to see the words as they appeared via Google Translate. ‘Tonight I am not taking you home,’ [it] read. ‘You come with me.’
After admitting her body went numb after the interaction, she revealed what she messaged her agent before her clever tactic to save her life.
She messaged her agent to send a search party if she wasn’t back in 15 minutes.
Using Google translate again, the driver then claimed, ‘Girls like you, I kill’, before recalling her immediate thoughts: “Oh my God,’ was my first thought... ‘I’m never going to see Mum again.’”
Scott admitted spotting the Kremlin, which gave her a brainwave, saying to the driver: “You can’t kill me, I have to see Putin tomorrow.”
She recalls the response: “He started laughing. ‘No one sees Putin’. I was scrambling now, pulling up photos from the morning’s visit to the Kremlin that had made newspaper headlines. His laughter died and I could see the cogs whirring as he tried to process what I was showing him. ‘If I don’t see Putin tomorrow, he will find you.’”
Thankfully, that was enough, with Scott being dropped off at her hotel moments later, but not without more trauma as he tried to touch her legs and kiss her as she made her exit to freedom.
LEIGH, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 09: BBC TV Presenter and former football player Alex Scott speaks prior to the Barclays FA Women's Super League match between Manchester United Women and Manchester City Women at Leigh Sports Village on October 09, 2021 in Leigh, England. (Photo by Naomi Baker/Getty Images)
Finishing off the story, Scott admitted: “I knew then what a near-miss I’d had but, rather than confront it, I just... brushed aside the incident like it had never happened, I didn’t want people to worry about me or think I couldn’t handle myself – just like when I was young.”
Now that is enough to make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, once again Scott showed just how strong she is and a reminder to all of us to be vigilant when we’re out and about in foreign countries, you don’t know who or what is just around the corner.