Jill Scott has revealed the superstitions which powered the Lionesses to Euros glory in 2022 – as Sarina Wiegman’s stars set their sights on fresh glory this summer.
Scott came off the bench in the final as England felled their old rivals Germany 2-1 at Wembley thanks to goals from Ella Toone and Chloe Kelly.
Now a pundit on The Overlap’s Stick to Football podcast, Scott made 161 appearances for England in a glittering career that also brought nine domestic trophies with Manchester city and Everton.
Amid Heineken’s revelation that more than half of fans globally have a footballing superstition, she says one stood out during the Lionesses’ memorable tournament.
Superstitions in football are curious, ranging from pretty mundane to downright bizarre. Gary Neville used to wear the same white underpants for every game and read the programme on the same toilet at Old Trafford. Luis Suarez wouldn’t let you touch his boots, and if you did, he’d be in a huff and hunt for a different pair.
Going further back, Johan Cruyff during his time at Ajax would slap goalkeeper Gert Bals’ belly and spit gum into the opposition half. There was none of that in the England camp, but what did the Lionesses get up to?
Jill Scott says hair plaits from Alessio Russo were an essential superstition at Euro 2022
She was speaking to Mail Sport as part of Heineken’s dive into footballing superstitions
With another Euros on the horizon, Scott has opened up on the habits she had in football
‘I was a substitute for the every game in the Euros, and I remember the first game, Alessio Russo put a plait in my hair. I always had a plait in my hair when I played football,’ Scott told Mail Sport.
‘And then it became a thing where every single game, she’d be like, “do you want us to do it on the bus or the hotel?” And I was like, “no, we’ve won, we need to do it in the changing room.”
‘So even the Wembley final, I remember looking over to her. She was obviously in the zone, but I had to ask her to plait my hair because we’d done it every game and it’s been good!
‘I felt bad that I was taking up her time, but I was like, “if I’ve got my plait in, we’re going to win.”‘
Scott had a couple more general superstitions throughout her career. ‘I’d put my right shinpad, right sock, and right boot on first before anything else,’ she said. ‘I was very much a right-footed player so I suppose in the back of my mind I thought, “I need this right foot today” – because I didn’t have a left!
‘Every game, when I walked out, I would touch the top of the tunnel. That was probably because I was tall and would hit my head, but it was definitely a superstition.’
What Heineken’s research shows is that young fans are just as likely to entertain little quirks in their behaviour. Two-third of Gen Z and Millennial fans claim to have a pre-match ritual, compared to just over a quarter of those above 55.
Scott doesn’t follow them so strictly now that she’s retired and transitioned into broadcasting.
Ian Wright’s energy is one of the biggest assets she has learned from while on the show
The 38-year-old forms part of The Overlap’s Stick to Football podcast team with Neville, Jamie Carragher, Ian Wright, and Roy Keane, has done punditry for Channel 4, and has been a captain on the soon-to-be-axed A League of Their Own.
Punditry wasn’t necessarily a path Scott envisioned for herself while she was still playing, but it’s one she is thoroughly enjoying.
‘When I watched Clare Balding or Gabby Logan on TV, I used to think, “how have they got that much knowledge?” Doing so many various sports, yeah, I really am in awe of people like that and think they’re fantastic at what they do,’ she said.
‘I really look forward to doing the podcast. We always have a laugh. They’re all very relaxed but hard working when it comes to the punditry, they make sure they have all the knowledge.
‘They’re all such different characters. From Wrighty, I’ve learned to always bring energy to whatever you do, I think that’s important. From Gary, he’s always busy, he utilises his time to the maximum, so I think I’ve learned that you can always be doing more because you can always push yourself.
‘Roy has such good values and morals, he really does, and I think he does try to do the right things on a day-to-day basis. And I think Jamie is just a very honest guy, he’s obviously so passionate about football and that comes across. I’ve learned something different from all of them.’
Scott was speaking to Mail Sport as part of Heineken’s Cheers to the Superstitious Fans campaign.
