When Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut against Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
That prediction turned out to be something of an underestimation.
Today 22 years old and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the playmaker has earned his maiden summons to the senior England squad.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to possible England player is a proper blast from the past, a story rarely told in the modern era.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of becoming a professional football player, let alone featuring in the top division and representing the national team as well,” Scott stated in a recent interview.
“It has been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have transformed drastically for myself and my family.”
But in what way did Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself at this level?
Learning in non-league
His path in football has been far from a conventional one.
He was part of over four years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, leaving school early each Friday to travel by air from his island home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could train and play for the club’s academy sides.
Before he turned 13, though, they released him. The Cherries were willing to offer Scott an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, as he later admitted, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he chose to remain on Guernsey and turn out for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.
“All I desired to chill at my home with my friends at the weekend because I missed nearly four and a half years of doing that. Getting that slice of childhood again was something I really needed.
“To gain a bit of confidence by returning and playing local football was huge for me. It was perhaps one of the most important factors that led me to this point.”
At the age of 16, Scott made history as the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a 57th-minute substitute in their Isthmian League match at the opposition.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the team because his talent is obvious,” manager the coach commented back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the way he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the professional game
Championship side the Robins – owned by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking his early progress after an impressive start in men’s football and arranged a try-out in late 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled the player. “The first day I trained with the youth team, the second day I was with the senior squad, which was a complete shock.
“On the Wednesday I featured for Guernsey FC in London, travelled back and on the Friday, I played for the youth team and scored a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to sign a contract.”
In just 18 months, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut against Luton.
Scott made 83 league appearances for the club while still a teenager, often being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally in attack as a number 10 – demonstrating his versatility and versatility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was their best player.
Thanks to his skill to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to City and national team playmaker Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he won the EFL Championship’s best young player honour, was chosen in the division’s best XI and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I think he will represent his country and I think he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the game,” his former manager, Scott’s boss at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.
Less than 90 days later, he joined the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his big move
Scott experienced a challenging debut campaign with the Cherries, waiting until October to make his top-flight debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.
His following season was just as affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for almost four months.
“There was quite a good run at the end of last season, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” said he.
“That felt like yet another setback and the year was shaping up as a pretty bad year for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in get himself fit in time.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six matches as they claimed victory in the competition in Slovakia, developing a strong partnership in midfield with his teammate, who himself has gone on to impress for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun the current campaign equally as impressively for Bournemouth, featuring in every game to guide them to fifth in the table.
“To play for the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my life,” the player stated recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I must continue developing as a footballer, maintain my love for the game, getting better day on day, and with luck I impress the national coach and get my chance.”
