Back when Alex Scott made his local team debut against Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
That prediction proved to be something of an underestimation.
Today 22 years old and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the midfielder has earned his maiden summons to the senior England team.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to possible England player is a true blast from the past, a journey rarely told in the modern game.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a pro footballer, never mind featuring in the top division and playing for England too,” Scott stated in a recent interview.
“It has been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have transformed completely for myself and my family.”
But how did Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up at this level?
Developing in non-league
His path in football has not been a conventional one.
He spent four and a half years in Southampton’s youth system starting at eight, leaving school early every Friday to travel by air from his home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could train and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to his 13th birthday, though, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth were willing to offer Scott an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he chose to remain on the island and play for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and flying over weekly was starting to feel a bit too much,” he recalled.
“All I desired to chill at home with my mates at weekends because I had missed almost four and a half years of that experience. To have that slice of youth again was something I definitely required.
“To gain some confidence by coming back and taking part in local football was huge for me. That proved to be perhaps one of the most important factors that led 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 second-half substitute in their Isthmian League match at the opposition.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the team because his talent is obvious,” manager the coach commented at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the way he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Championship side Bristol City – chaired by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring his early progress after an promising start in men’s football and arranged a try-out in late 2019.
“It was chaos,” recalled Scott. “The first day I joined the youth team, the second day I was with the senior squad, which was a total shock.
“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in London, returned home and by Friday, I played for the youth team and netted a hat-trick. From that point a certainty for me to sign a deal.”
In just 18 months, still well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut versus the Hatters.
He went on to make eighty-three league outings for the club while in his teens, frequently being used as a wing-back – 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 ability to carry the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he won the second tier’s best young player award, was selected in the league’s best XI and was named Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I believe he will represent his country and I think he’ll go on to the top of the game,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s boss at Ashton Gate, remarked last year.
Less than 90 days later, he signed for Bournemouth for a reported transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his major transfer
The midfielder endured a challenging first season with the Cherries, waiting until October to make his Premier League debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then finding himself inconsistent of the team.
His following season was equally disrupted, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for nearly four months.
“I had a decent run at the end of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained Scott.
“It was almost another setback and it was turning out to be quite a terrible year for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the U21 Euros – and managed to get himself fit for the tournament.
He started five of the England U21s’ six games as they claimed victory in the competition in Slovakia, forming a formidable partnership in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has excelled for the senior side with the national coach.
And he has begun the current campaign equally as strongly for Bournemouth, featuring in all matches to help them to fifth in the table.
“To play for the England senior team would be among the most special occasions of my career,” the player said earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I must continue developing as a footballer, keep enjoying the game, improving day on day, and with luck I catch the eye of the national coach and get my chance.”
