When Alex Scott made his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports before just 55 fans in 2019, his manager back then predicted, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
This statement proved to be a bit of an understatement.
Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has just received his maiden summons to the senior England team.
His rise from non-league prodigy to possible international star is a true blast from the past, a story rarely seen in the modern game.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of making it as a pro footballer, let alone featuring in the Premier League and representing England too,” the player said in a recent interview.
“It has been a incredible five or six years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for me and my family.”
But in what way did Alex Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself here?
Learning in the lower tiers
Scott’s path in football has been far from a typical one.
He was part of over four years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, leaving school early each Friday to fly from his home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could attend training and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before he turned 13, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth were willing to offer Scott an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, as he later admitted, his heart was not in it.
Instead, he opted to stay on Guernsey and play for his local team.
“My form had dipped and flying over weekly was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.
“All I desired to chill at home with my friends at the weekend because I missed nearly several years of doing that. To have that little bit of childhood back was a thing I really needed.
“To gain a bit of self-belief by returning and playing local football was huge for me. It was probably one of the most important things that led me to this point.”
When he was just 16, Scott became the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a second-half substitute in their league match at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could get him in the side because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss the coach stated back then.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Championship side Bristol City – owned by islander their owner – had been tracking Scott’s development after an impressive start in men’s football and arranged a try-out in December 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” said Scott. “The first day I joined the under-18s, the second day I was with the senior squad, which was a total surprise.
“Midweek I featured for his local side in London, travelled back and by Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a hat-trick. From that point a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
Within a year and a half, still well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut versus Luton.
Scott went on to make 83 league outings for the Robins while in his teens, frequently being used as a wide defender – and sometimes further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his versatility and flexibility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was their best player.
With his skill to carry the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to City and England attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the second tier’s young player of the season honour, was chosen in the league’s team of the year and was voted Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I believe he’ll play for his country and I’m sure he’ll go on to the top of the game,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated previously.
Within 90 days after, he joined Bournemouth for a reported fee of £25m.
Getting his major transfer
The midfielder experienced a challenging first season with the Cherries, having to wait until October to earn his top-flight debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then being inconsistent of the team.
His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for almost several months.
“I had quite a good run at the end of last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” said Scott.
“That felt like almost another setback and the year was shaping up as a pretty bad start for the first half.”
But he was then called up by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in regain fitness in time.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six games as they went on to win the competition in the host nation, developing a strong understanding in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has gone on to impress for the senior side under the national coach.
And he has started the current campaign equally as impressively for his club, playing in all matches to help them to fifth in the table.
“To play for the England senior team would be among the most special occasions of my career,” Scott said recently.
“It’s down to me, I must keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for football, improving every day, and with luck I catch the eye of the national coach and get my chance.”
