Scott Sinclair

Chelsea

Early career

Chelsea signed Sinclair in July 2005. A Football League tribunal set the compensation to be paid to Bristol Rovers at an initial £200,000, with increments up to a potential £750,000 to be paid if and when the player met various appearance milestones at club or international level. Chelsea would also have to pay Rovers 15% of the profit on any future sale. Sinclair was called up to Chelsea's squad to play Macclesfield Town in the FA Cup on 6 January 2007 but remained on the bench. His debut came four days later as a very late substitute in the 2007 League Cup semi-final against Wycombe Wanderers. He scored his first goal for Chelsea in September 2007, in the 37th minute of the League Cup third-round match against Hull City to help Chelsea win 4–0. He provided the assist for Frank Lampard's 100th goal for Chelsea, in a 3–1 victory over Huddersfield Town in the FA Cup. He made his league debut for Chelsea on 6 May 2007, when he came off the bench to replace Shaun Wright-Phillips for the final ten minutes of the game against Arsenal. During the January transfer window, Sinclair was signed on a month's loan by Plymouth Argyle, whose manager Ian Holloway had noticed him as a ten-year-old prospect at former club Bristol Rovers. He made his debut as a substitute in the 3–2 victory over Coventry City at Home Park. In his second game, the FA Cup fourth-round tie against Barnet, he scored a fine individual goal to seal a 2–0 victory, taking the…

Sinclair was selected for the England under-19s for their matches during October 2007, but, together with Andy Carroll and Ryan Bertrand, he was sent home after breaking a team curfew.

England U21s

On 12 November 2010, Sinclair was called up for the England under-21s for their friendly against the German under-21s. He earned his first cap playing in this friendly where England lost 2–0. In May 2011, Sinclair was named in the England squad for the European Under-21 Championship. John Barnes, the former Jamaica coach, tried to convince Sinclair to play for the Jamaica senior team.

Great Britain Olympic football team

On 2 July 2012, Sinclair was named in Stuart Pearce's 18-man squad for the 2012 Summer Olympics. He scored the second goal in Team GB's second game of the tournament, against the United Arab Emirates.

Sinclair was born in Bath, Somerset, where he attended Ralph Allen School. He began his career with Bath Arsenal and grew up supporting Manchester United. Sinclair joined Bristol Rovers at the age of nine. He became the second-youngest (after Ronnie Dix) Bristol Rovers first-team debutant – at the age of 15 years, 277 days – as a late substitute for Junior Agogo in the League Two game against Leyton Orient in December 2004.

Sinclair's brother Martin has cerebral palsy, and was selected in the Great Britain Cerebral Palsy football team for the 2012 Summer Paralympics. His younger brother Jake is also a footballer and plays for Mangotsfield United. Sinclair became engaged to actress Helen Flanagan on 31 May 2018. They have two daughters, and one son. Their relationship ended in July 2022.