When Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 spectators in 2019, his coach back then assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
This prediction proved to be something of an understatement.
Today 22 years old and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his first summons to the senior England squad.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to possible England player is a true throwback, a story seldom told in the modern era.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was no chance of making it as a professional football player, never mind playing in the top division and representing the national team as well,” Scott stated previously.
“It’s been a crazy five or six years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for me and my loved ones.”
But how did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself at this level?
Developing in non-league
His football journey has been far from a typical one.
He was part of over four years in the Saints’ youth system from the age of eight, skipping school every 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 his 13th birthday, though, they decided to let him go. The Cherries were willing to offer Scott an option and he remained with them for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he opted to stay on Guernsey and turn out for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling every week was starting to feel a bit too much,” he recalled.
“All I desired to chill at my home with my friends at weekends because I missed nearly several years of that experience. Getting that little bit of childhood back was something I really needed.
“To gain a bit of confidence by returning and taking part in local football was massive for me. That proved to be probably one of the most important factors that got 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 57th-minute replacement in their Isthmian League match at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the side because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance commented back then.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the way he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the professional game
Second-tier club the Robins – owned by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking his development after an promising beginning in men’s football and arranged a try-out in late 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” said the player. “Day one I trained with the under-18s, the second day I trained with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.
“On the Wednesday I featured for his local side in London, returned home and by Friday, I played for the youth team and netted a three goals. From that point a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
Within 18 months, still well before his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut against Luton.
He went on to make 83 league appearances for the club while still a teenager, frequently being deployed as a wing-back – and sometimes further forward as a number 10 – demonstrating his versatility and versatility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his ability to drive the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and England playmaker Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he claimed the second tier’s young player of the season honour, was chosen in the league’s best XI and was named Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I believe he will represent England and I think he will progress to the pinnacle of the sport,” his former manager, the player’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated previously.
Within three months after, he signed for the Cherries for a understood transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his major transfer
The midfielder experienced a difficult debut campaign with the Cherries, waiting until October to make his top-flight debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then finding himself inconsistent of the starting XI.
His following season was just as affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for nearly four months.
“There was a decent run at the close of last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” said he.
“It was almost 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 U21 Euros – and managed to regain fitness for the tournament.
He started five of the England U21s’ six matches as they went on to win the tournament in the host nation, forming a formidable partnership in midfield with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the senior side with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started this season equally as strongly for Bournemouth, featuring in all matches to help them to the top five in the table.
“Representing the national team would be one of the proudest moments of my life,” Scott said recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying the game, getting better day on day, and with luck I impress the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
