“I made the decision this year”
To be there for his son: TV expert gives up job
October 30, 2025 – 1:56 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
Paul Scholes is in demand as a successful ex-professional on British TV. But in the near future the 50-year-old will step down as an expert.
Anyone who tunes into the British TV channel TNT Sports this season will not see Paul Scholes. The English international was often an expert in broadcasting Champions League games. The reason: Scholes has announced his resignation as a TV expert.
In the “Stick to Football” podcast he explained why he decided to take this step. The former Manchester United midfield star wants to take more care of his severely autistic son Aiden. Together with his ex-wife Claire, a routine had developed that he could not give up. Care at night in particular is regulated and structured. Scholes had Aiden for three days and his ex-wife for four days.
In the podcast he also spoke to the hosts and former teammates Gary Neville, Roy Keane as well as Jill Scott and Ian Wright about the challenges of care. When Aiden was diagnosed with autism at the age of two and a half, it would also have had an impact on Scholes’ playing career. It had already affected him, said Scholes.
Now he finds it difficult to work as an expert. On Thursdays in particular, he wanted to be with Aiden, who is looked after at the daycare center for four hours a day.
Paul Scholes: “I made a decision this year because of Aiden and his special needs. All my work is now based on his daily routine – and he has a pretty strict daily routine. I have decided to focus everything I do on Aiden.” And further: “We always do the same things with him. He doesn’t know what day of the week it is or what time of day it is. But he can tell what day it is by what we do.”
This includes, for example, going swimming on Tuesday. Afterwards there will be pizza. “On Thursdays I pick him up, we go out for something to eat and then drive home. On Sundays I pick him up from Claire’s and we drive to Tesco, where he buys a whole shopping trolley full of chocolate. So he doesn’t know what day it is or what time it is, but he can tell by what we do,” says Scholes.
The ex-England international, who has two other children with his ex-wife, is doing all this to give hope and support to other parents in the same situation. “It’s damn hard, especially when they’re so little,” he explained.