6 hours ago
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Alicia Scholes, the daughter of ex-Man United and England legend Paul, has paid a heartfelt tribute to her loving father after his emotional podcast episode.
The former midfielder, 50, spoke candidly on Stick to Football about the challenges of raising his non-verbal autistic son, Aiden, Alicia's younger brother.
Aiden was diagnosed with severe autism aged two-and-a-half and Scholes shared how tough it was getting to grips with raising a neuro-diverse child while playing football at the top level, also confessing his great fear of what will happen to his son when he is no longer around to care for him.
The response, particularly from parents in a similar situation blew Scholes away and now his daughter has shared her own touching tribute.
Alicia, 24, is a hugely talented athlete in her own right and plays netball for England and London Pulse.
On Instagram, she wrote: 'God knows how hard that episode must’ve been!!!!! We love you so much.'
Alicia Scholes (centre) shared a touching tribute to her famous father online
The Manchester United and England legend revealed that he has taken a step back from punditry to case for Aiden (left) his non-verbal autistic son
And she went on: 'I've never known anyone hate talking about themself more than you and can only imagine how hard it was speaking about Aidie and the reality of a very, very hard situation. My whole life your priority has always been being my dad and growing up realising how hard you had to work everyday alongside that is something I can't even comprehend.
'To achieve all you did takes so much sacrifice and somehow I still had you to take me to school every morning and there at the end of each day, so present in every aspect of my life!'
Alicia, who is dating Love Island Series 11 star Ayo Odukoya, shares snaps of her glamourous life on Instagram with more than 100,000 followers but also opened up about the challenges of having such a public profile, given her father's achievements.
He continued: 'I never knew that having your name would be the heaviest weight I'd have to carry but over time I'm learning and hoping the pressure has made me stronger, it's people I've never met writing all over Twitter about how much they hate me or how rude I am or how bad my attitude is, people who have never had a conversation with me assuming I'm going to be a certain way so dislike me for reasons they've made up in their own head.
'My mum being at games overhearing fans tell each other I'm only in teams because of my dad, nothing to do with the work or dedication I've put in.
'I've had everything I do have more attention than it should, being judged 10x harder and criticised 10x more, always having to play above or beyond expectations to be acknowledged or praised because my bar is naturally so much higher, every success or achievement getting compared to a standard impossible to meet.
'Growing up with eyes on you that you didn't ask for has an impact and it's not normal to live in a world where everyone's view on you is based on things nothing to do with who you are or what you've done.
'Nobody teaches you to grow up with all these eyes and it took me so long to realise that but again I look at you, and not only are you everything I want to be as an athlete but your character and how you carry yourself is admirable.'
Alicia is currently dating former Love Island star Ayo Odukoya (left) and has more than 100,000 followers but says life in the public eye has been tough
Paul, her softly-spoken father, has been a regular on punditry duty since hanging up his boots on a glittering career but recently announced he is stepping back to just do podcasting in order to better keep Aiden's vital routine.
Alicia went on to pay tribute to her dad's character, adding: 'You're a normal person, so unbothered by outside noise, so unfazed by the media and how things are now.
'If anyone ever met you they'd have no idea about the life you'd lived, they'd just see a genuinely kind, polite, caring person.
'You don't care about people who don't matter and out of everything that is the most valuable thing I have learnt from you.
'People naturally dislike you if you're different, if you don't stick to the bull*** guidelines of how everything 'should' be done or how your life should be lived but you have shown me I can and truly not care what anyone thinks, I love you for that.
'The thing I am proudest of is being your daughter, you are the best role model and father figure I could ever have and you do it so effortlessly, anyway, well done on this episode dad, it was amazing and if Aidie could tell you himself he would say you really are the best dad in the world, we love you millions.'
Paul confirmed that he and his wife Claire Froggatt, with whom he has now separated, share caring responsibilities equally, each having Aiden for three nights a week. He explained that the key to helping his son feel settled lies in keeping each day predictable.
Scholes, 50, revealed that he had been overwhelmed by the response from parents sharing similar experiences
'We always do the same things with him as he doesn't know what day of the week it is or time. But he'll know from what we're doing what day it is,' he said.
The midfielder, who won 11 Premier League titles and two Champions League trophies with United, added that while the early years after Aiden's diagnosis were difficult, he now finds immense joy in his son's happiness.
'Don't get me wrong, he can be so happy it's untrue, and it gives you great pleasure and joy, it's not all bad,' Scholes said.
Since leaving regular broadcasting work, Scholes has launched a new podcast alongside fellow former team-mate Nicky Butt, titled The Good, The Bad & The Football.
