Tracing the footsteps of Scott Sinclair, a creature of football born on 25th March 1989, a trip that takes us frae the lower tiers of English football right up to the elite, with a bit of a detour tae Scotland. Standing at a rather average 5ft 9in (1.77m) and weighing about 11st (70kg), Sinclair has enjoyed a football career that's been somewhat of a rollercoaster, flitting between clubs like a migratory bird.
It all began back in December 2004, when a young Sinclair was welcomed into the ranks of Bristol Rovers. His contributions, however, perhaps owing to a first job jitters, were rather limited with just two first team appearances. Over recent seasons, his return to Bristol Rovers appears to be somewhat more fruitful: 41 first team appearances and three goals recorded for the current season 2024-25.
In June 2005, Sinclair swapped the familiar confines of Bristol Rovers for the more glamorous stage of Chelsea with a transfer fee of around £200k. Yet, it seems the gloss and shine of the Premier League proved rather daunting for our friend, with a grand total of five first team appearances over three seasons.
Following a series of loan spells at Plymouth Argyle, Queens Park Rangers, Charlton Athletic, Crystal Palace, Birmingham City, and Wigan Athletic, Sinclair found his way to Swansea City in August 2010. This move, costing Swansea around £1.5m, resulted in a couple of seasons filled with more football than Sinclair had likely seen in his entire career: 82 first team appearances and a respectable 28 goals to show for it.
His time at Swansea attracted the attention of Manchester City who forked out a cool £6.2m to bring him aboard. However, once again, the appeal of the Premier League proved a siren call that led to Sinclair languishing on the bench. Following less than impressive seasons at City and a loan spell at West Bromwich Albion, he was then off to Aston Villa - first on loan, then with a permanent transfer fee of £2.5m. Not quite sweeping Villa off their feet, nevertheless, Sinclair did manage a steady if unspectacular contribution.
Now to the section you've been waiting for - his Celtic days. A £3.5m transfer in August 2016 saw him relocate to Celtic where at least initially, Sinclair seemed to remember how a footballer should perform. Scoring 21 goals in his debut season, and subsequently adding a further 19 goals over the next couple of years, Sinclair did provide a return on Celtic’s investment. Yet, it seems our wandering footballer had his wandering boots on again, making only two first team appearances in his last season 2019-20.
Off to Preston North End he went, on an undisclosed fee, and now, as we round off this journey, Sinclair finds himself back at Bristol Rovers. It's like one of those novels where the protagonist ends up right back where they started. It's a beautiful thing when life comes full circle, isn't it?
As for his national duty, he managed to pull on the Great Britain jersey a handful of times. Also participated in FA Cup 2024 -25 and League Cup 2024 - 25 for Bristol Rovers. There we have it, the professional life of Scott Sinclair - a tale of tragic underuse, promising flashes, and frequent flyer miles.
