When Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports before just 55 fans in 2019, his manager at the time predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
That statement proved to be something of an understatement.
Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the playmaker has earned his first summons to the full England team.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to possible England player is a proper throwback, a story seldom seen in the modern era.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was no chance of becoming a pro footballer, never mind playing in the Premier League and playing for England too,” Scott stated previously.
“It has been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and things have transformed completely for myself and my loved ones.”
So how did Alex Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up at this level?
Developing in non-league
Scott’s football journey has not been a typical one.
He was part of four and a half years in the Saints’ academy setup from the age of eight, skipping school every Friday to travel by air from his home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could train and play for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they released him. The Cherries were willing to offer Scott an opportunity and he remained with them for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind was not in it.
Instead, he chose to remain on Guernsey and play for his local team.
“My form had dipped and flying over every week was becoming overwhelming,” he explained.
“I just wanted to chill at my home with my friends at weekends because I had missed almost several years of doing that. To have that slice of childhood back was a thing I definitely required.
“To gain a bit of confidence by coming back and taking part in island football was huge for me. It was perhaps one of the most important factors that led me to this point.”
When he was just 16, Scott made history as the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a second-half substitute in their league fixture at the opposition.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could get him in the side because his talent is obvious,” manager the coach stated back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the way he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Championship side the Robins – chaired by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring Scott’s early progress after an impressive start in men’s football and arranged a trial in December 2019.
“It was hectic,” recalled the player. “Day one I trained with the youth team, the second day I was with the first team, which was a total surprise.
“On the Wednesday I featured for Guernsey FC in the capital, travelled back and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and netted a hat-trick. From that point a certainty for me to sign a deal.”
Within 18 months, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut against the Hatters.
Scott went on to make 83 league outings for the Robins while in his teens, frequently being deployed as a wing-back – and sometimes further forward as a number 10 – such was his versatility and versatility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was their best player.
Thanks to his skill to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and England playmaker Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he claimed the EFL Championship’s best young player award, was chosen in the division’s team of the year and was named Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I believe he’ll play for England and I’m sure he will progress to the pinnacle of the sport,” his former manager, the player’s boss at the club, remarked last year.
Less than 90 days after, he joined Bournemouth for a understood transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his major transfer
The midfielder experienced a difficult debut campaign with the Cherries, having to wait until the autumn to make his top-flight debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then finding himself in and out of the starting XI.
His following season was just as disrupted, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for nearly several months.
“I had quite a good run at the end of last season, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained Scott.
“That felt like almost another obstacle and it was turning out to be quite a terrible start for the first half.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in regain fitness in time.
He started five of the England U21s’ six games as they claimed victory in the competition in the host nation, developing a strong understanding in midfield with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the first team under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun the current campaign just as impressively for Bournemouth, playing in every game to help them to fifth in the table.
“Representing the national team would be one of the proudest moments of my career,” the player said recently.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, maintain my love for football, getting better day on day, and hopefully I impress the national coach and get my chance.”
