Back when Alex Scott made his local team debut against Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his coach back then assured, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
This prediction turned out to be something of an underestimation.
Now 22 years old and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the playmaker has earned his maiden summons to the full England team.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to potential international star is a true throwback, a story seldom seen in the modern era.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was no chance of making it as a professional football player, never mind playing in the top division and playing for the national team too,” Scott said in a recent interview.
“It has been a crazy five or six years of my life, and circumstances have transformed completely for myself and my loved ones.”
So in what way did Alex Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up at this level?
Learning in non-league
Scott’s path in football has been far from a typical one.
He was part of over four years in Southampton’s youth system starting at eight, skipping school every Friday to fly from his island home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could train and play for the club’s academy sides.
Before his 13th birthday, though, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth gave him an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he opted to remain on Guernsey and turn out for his local team.
“My form had dipped and flying over every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he explained.
“I just wanted to chill at my home with my friends at the weekend because I missed almost several years of doing that. Getting that little bit of childhood again was something I definitely needed.
“To gain a bit of self-belief by returning and playing local football was massive for me. That proved to be perhaps one of the most important things that got me to this point.”
When he was just 16, the teenager 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 trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the team because he’s that good,” manager Tony Vance stated back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Second-tier club Bristol City – chaired by islander their owner – had been tracking Scott’s development after an promising beginning in adult football and arranged a try-out in late 2019.
“It was hectic,” said the player. “Day one I trained with the youth team, the next day I trained with the first team, which was a complete shock.
“Midweek I featured for his local side in London, travelled back and on the Friday, I played for the youth team and netted a three goals. From that point a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
Within a year and a half, even well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut versus Luton.
He went on to make 83 league outings for the Robins while still a teenager, often being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his adaptability and flexibility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was their best player.
Thanks to his ability to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team 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 league’s team of the year and was named Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I believe he will represent England and I think he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s manager at Ashton Gate, stated previously.
Less than 90 days after, he signed for Bournemouth for a reported transfer fee of £25m.
Securing his major transfer
Scott experienced a challenging debut campaign with the Cherries, waiting until the autumn to make his Premier League debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then finding himself in and out of the team.
His following season was equally affected, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for nearly four months.
“I had quite a good run at the end of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.
“It was yet another obstacle and it was shaping up as quite a terrible year for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to get himself fit 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 under the national coach.
And he has started this season equally as impressively for Bournemouth, playing in every game to help them to the top five in the standings.
“To play for the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my life,” Scott said earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I must continue developing as a player, keep enjoying the game, getting better every day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the national coach and get my chance.”
