When Alex Scott made his local team debut against Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 fans in 2019, his coach at the time assured, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
That statement turned out to be a bit of an underestimation.
Today 22 years old and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the midfielder has earned his maiden call-up to the full England squad.
His rise from non-league prodigy to possible international star is a true throwback, a journey seldom told in the modern game.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a professional football player, never mind playing in the Premier League and playing for the national team as well,” Scott stated in a recent interview.
“It has been a incredible five or six years of my life, and things have transformed completely for me and my loved ones.”
But how did Alex Scott, known fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up here?
Learning in non-league
His football journey has not been a conventional 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 island home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could train and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to he turned 13, though, they decided to let him go. The Cherries gave him an option and he remained with them for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he opted to remain on the island and turn out for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and flying over weekly was becoming a bit too much,” he recalled.
“All I desired to relax at my home with my mates at the weekend because I missed nearly several years of doing that. To have that slice of childhood again was something I really needed.
“Building some self-belief by returning and taking part in island football was huge for me. It was perhaps the most crucial factors that got me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, Scott made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a 57th-minute replacement in their league match at Phoenix Sports.
“I had sleepless nights because I was trying to work 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 possession of the ball is exceptional, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Championship side Bristol City – chaired by islander their owner – had been tracking his early progress after an impressive beginning in adult football and arranged a try-out in December 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” said the player. “The first day I joined the under-18s, the second day I was with the first team, which was a complete surprise.
“Midweek I played for his local side in London, travelled back and on the Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a three goals. From that point a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
Within a year and a half, still well before his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut versus the Hatters.
He made 83 league appearances for the club while in his teens, often being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally in attack as a number 10 – demonstrating his versatility and flexibility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was their best player.
With his skill 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 Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign 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 think he’ll play for his country and I think he will progress to the pinnacle of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s boss at the club, remarked last year.
Within three months after, he joined Bournemouth for a reported transfer fee of £25m.
Securing his major transfer
The midfielder endured a challenging debut campaign with the Cherries, having to wait until October to make his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then finding himself inconsistent of the team.
His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for nearly several months.
“I had quite a good run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained he.
“That felt like almost another setback and it was turning out to be quite a terrible start for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the U21 Euros – and managed to get himself fit for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six games as they went on to win the competition in the host nation, developing a strong partnership in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has excelled for the first team under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun the current campaign just as strongly for Bournemouth, playing in every game to guide them to fifth in the table.
“To play for the national team would be one of the proudest occasions of my life,” Scott said recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I must continue developing as a player, maintain my love for the game, improving every day, and hopefully I impress the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
