When Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut against Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his coach at the time assured, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
That statement proved to be a bit of an underestimation.
Now 22 years old and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the playmaker has earned his first call-up to the senior Three Lions team.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to possible international star is a true blast from the past, a journey seldom seen in the modern era.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a professional football player, never mind playing in the top division and representing England as well,” Scott said previously.
“It’s been a crazy five or six years of my life, and circumstances have changed completely for me and my family.”
But how did Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself at this level?
Developing in the lower tiers
Scott’s path in football has not been a typical 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 feature for the club’s academy sides.
Before he turned 13, though, they released him. 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 wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he chose to stay on the island and play for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling weekly was becoming a bit too much,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to chill at my home with my mates at the weekend because I had missed nearly four and a half years of that experience. To have that little bit of youth back was a thing I really needed.
“To gain a bit of self-belief by returning and taking part in local football was massive for me. It was probably one of the most important things that led me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, the teenager made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he came on as a second-half replacement in their Isthmian League match at Phoenix Sports.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could get him in the team because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss the coach stated at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the way he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the professional game
Championship side the Robins – chaired by islander their owner – had been tracking Scott’s early progress after an impressive start in men’s football and gave him a trial in late 2019.
“It was hectic,” said Scott. “Day one I trained with the youth team, the second day I trained with the senior squad, which was a complete shock.
“Midweek I featured for Guernsey FC in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I played for the youth team and netted a hat-trick. From that point a done deal for me to sign a deal.”
Within a year and a half, even 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 in his teens, often being deployed as a wide defender – and sometimes further forward as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his adaptability and flexibility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his skill to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to City and England attacking midfielder Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he claimed the second tier’s young player of the season award, was selected in the division’s best XI and was named Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I think he will represent his country and I think he will progress to the pinnacle of the game,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s manager at the club, remarked last year.
Within 90 days after, he signed for the Cherries for a understood fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his big move
Scott experienced a challenging debut campaign with the Cherries, having to wait until the autumn to make his Premier League debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then being in and out of the starting XI.
His following season 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 close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.
“It was yet another setback and it was shaping up as quite a terrible start for the first half.”
But he was then selected by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to regain fitness for the tournament.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they claimed victory in the competition in the host nation, developing a strong understanding in midfield with his teammate, who in turn has gone on to impress for the senior side under the national coach.
And he has started the current campaign just as impressively for Bournemouth, playing in every game to guide them to fifth in the table.
“Representing the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my career,” Scott stated recently.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for football, improving every day, and with luck I impress the England manager and get my chance.”
