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 coach back then predicted, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
This statement proved to be a bit of an underestimation.
Today aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the playmaker has earned his maiden summons to the full England squad.
His rise from non-league prodigy to potential international star is a proper throwback, a journey seldom told in the modern era.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of making it as a pro footballer, let alone featuring in the Premier League and representing England too,” Scott said previously.
“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for me and my loved ones.”
But how did Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself at this level?
Developing in non-league
His football journey has been far from a conventional one.
He was part of four and a half years in Southampton’s academy setup starting at eight, skipping school every Friday to travel by air from his home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could train and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth were willing to offer him an opportunity and he remained with them for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind was not in it.
Rather, he opted to stay on Guernsey and turn out for his local team.
“My form had dipped and flying over weekly was becoming a bit too much,” he explained.
“I just wanted to chill at my home with my mates at the weekend because I missed nearly four and a half years of that experience. To have that slice of childhood again was something I definitely required.
“To gain some confidence by returning and playing island football was massive for me. That proved to be probably one of the most important things that got me to this point.”
When he was just 16, Scott became the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a second-half substitute in their league fixture at the opposition.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping 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.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the way he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the professional game
Second-tier club Bristol City – chaired by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring his early progress after an impressive beginning in adult football and arranged a trial in December 2019.
“It was hectic,” said the player. “The first day I trained with the under-18s, the next day I trained with the senior squad, which was a total surprise.
“On the Wednesday I featured for Guernsey FC in the capital, travelled back and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and scored a three goals. From that point a done deal for me to sign a contract.”
Within a year and a half, even well before his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut against the Hatters.
Scott went on to make 83 league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, frequently being deployed as a wide defender – and sometimes further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his adaptability and versatility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was their best player.
Thanks to his skill to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and England attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he won the EFL Championship’s best young player honour, was chosen in the league’s best XI and was named the club’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I think he will represent his country and I think he will progress to the top of the game,” his former manager, Scott’s boss at the club, stated last year.
Less than three months later, he signed for the Cherries for a reported fee of £25m.
Getting his big move
Scott experienced a difficult first season with the Cherries, waiting until October to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.
His following season was just as affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for almost four months.
“I had a decent run at the close of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” said Scott.
“It was yet another setback and it was shaping up as a pretty bad start for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by England for the U21 Euros – and managed to regain fitness in time.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six matches as they claimed victory in the competition in the host nation, developing a strong partnership in midfield with his teammate, who himself has gone on to impress for the first team under the national coach.
And he has started the current campaign just as impressively for Bournemouth, playing in every game to help them to fifth in the standings.
“To play for the national team would be one of the proudest moments of my life,” Scott stated earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for the game, getting better day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
