Back when Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut against Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 spectators in 2019, his manager back then assured, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
That prediction proved to be a bit of an understatement.
Today aged 22 and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the midfielder has just received his first summons to the full England squad.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to potential England player is a proper throwback, a story seldom told in the modern era.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was no chance of making it as a pro footballer, let alone playing in the top division and playing for the national team as well,” the player stated in a recent interview.
“It’s been a crazy five or six years of my life, and circumstances have transformed drastically for myself and my loved ones.”
So how did Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself here?
Developing in non-league
Scott’s path in football has been far from a conventional one.
He spent four and a half years in Southampton’s academy setup starting at eight, leaving school early each Friday to travel by air from his home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could train and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before he turned 13, though, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth were willing to offer Scott an opportunity and he remained with them for a time, but, as he later admitted, his heart was not in it.
Rather, he chose to remain on the island and turn out for his local team.
“My form had dipped and flying over weekly was becoming a bit too much,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to chill at home with my mates at weekends because I missed almost several years of that experience. To have that slice of childhood again was a thing I definitely 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, the teenager made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a 57th-minute substitute in their league fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could get him in the side because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance commented back then.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the way he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the professional game
Second-tier club the Robins – chaired by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring his early progress after an impressive start in adult football and gave him a trial in late 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled 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 Guernsey FC in the capital, returned home and on the Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a three goals. From that point a done deal for me to sign a deal.”
In just 18 months, even well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut against Luton.
He made eighty-three league appearances for the club while in his teens, often being used as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – demonstrating his versatility and flexibility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his ability to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to City and national team playmaker Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he won the second tier’s young player of the season honour, was chosen in the division’s best XI and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I believe he’ll play for his country and I’m sure he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the game,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked last year.
Within 90 days later, he joined the Cherries for a reported fee of £25m.
Securing his big move
Scott endured a difficult 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 team.
His following season was just as disrupted, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for almost four months.
“There was a decent run at the end of last season, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” said Scott.
“That felt like yet another obstacle and it was shaping up as quite a terrible start for the first half.”
But he was then called up by England for the U21 Euros – and managed to regain fitness for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six games as they claimed victory in the competition in the host nation, forming a strong understanding in the middle with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the first team with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun this season just as impressively for Bournemouth, playing in every game to help them to the top five in the table.
“Representing the England senior team would be one of the proudest occasions of my life,” the player stated earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I must keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying the game, getting better day on day, and with luck I catch the eye of the national coach and get my chance.”
