When Alex Scott made his local team debut against Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
This statement proved to be something of an underestimation.
Today 22 years old and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his first summons to the senior Three Lions team.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to potential England player is a true throwback, a journey seldom seen in the modern era.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was no chance of making it as a pro footballer, never mind featuring in the Premier League and playing for the national team too,” Scott said previously.
“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and things have changed completely for me and my loved ones.”
So how did Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself at this level?
Learning in non-league
His path in football has been far from a typical one.
He spent four and a half years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, skipping school every Friday to travel by air from his home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could train and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Before he turned 13, though, they released him. The Cherries were willing to offer him an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, as he later admitted, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he opted to remain on Guernsey and turn out for his local team.
“My form had dipped and flying over every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he explained.
“All I desired to relax at my home with my friends at weekends because I missed nearly several years of doing that. Getting that little bit of childhood back was something I really required.
“To gain a bit of confidence by coming back and taking part in local football was massive for me. It was perhaps the most crucial factors that led me to this point.”
At the age of 16, the teenager became the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a second-half replacement in their Isthmian League fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the team because his talent is obvious,” manager Tony Vance commented back then.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the professional game
Second-tier club Bristol City – chaired by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring Scott’s development after an promising beginning in men’s football and arranged a try-out in late 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” said Scott. “Day one I trained with the under-18s, the second day I was with the first team, which was a total surprise.
“Midweek I played for his local side in London, returned home and on the Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a hat-trick. From that point a certainty for me to sign a contract.”
In just 18 months, still well before his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut against Luton.
He made eighty-three league outings for the Robins while still a teenager, frequently being deployed as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his adaptability and versatility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was their best player.
With his ability to drive the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to City and England playmaker Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he claimed the EFL Championship’s young player of the season honour, was selected in the league’s team of the year and was voted Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I believe he’ll play for his country and I think he will progress to the pinnacle of the sport,” his former manager, the player’s manager at the club, remarked previously.
Within three months after, he joined Bournemouth for a reported transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his major transfer
Scott experienced a difficult first season with the Cherries, having to wait until October to make his top-flight debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then being in and out of the starting XI.
His following season was equally affected, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for almost four months.
“I had quite a good run at the end of last season, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.
“It was almost another obstacle and it was turning out to be a pretty bad start for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to get himself fit in time.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they claimed victory in the tournament in the host nation, forming a formidable partnership in midfield with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun the current campaign equally as impressively for Bournemouth, featuring in all matches to guide them to the top five in the table.
“To play for the England senior team would be among the most special moments of my career,” the player stated recently.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, maintain my love for football, improving day on day, and hopefully I impress the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
