Back when Alex Scott made his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his coach at the time assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
That prediction proved to be a bit of an understatement.
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 potential England player is a proper throwback, a story rarely seen in the modern game.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of making it as a pro footballer, let alone featuring in the top division and representing the national team too,” the player said previously.
“It’s been a crazy five or six years of my life, and circumstances have transformed drastically for me and my family.”
But how did Alex Scott, known fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself here?
Developing in non-league
His path in football has been far from a conventional one.
He spent four and a half years in the Saints’ youth system from the age of eight, leaving school early every Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could train and play for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to his 13th birthday, though, they released him. Bournemouth were willing to offer Scott an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, as he later admitted, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he chose to remain on Guernsey and play for his local team.
“My form had dipped and traveling every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he explained.
“All I desired to relax at home with my friends at the weekend because I missed nearly four and a half years of doing that. To have that slice of youth again was something I really needed.
“To gain a bit of confidence by coming back and playing island football was huge for me. That proved to be probably one of the most important factors that got me to this point.”
When he was just 16, Scott became the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a 57th-minute replacement in their league match at Phoenix Sports.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could include him in the side because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss the coach commented back then.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the way he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Second-tier club the Robins – chaired by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking his early progress after an impressive beginning in adult football and gave him a trial in late 2019.
“It was chaos,” recalled Scott. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the next day I trained with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.
“Midweek I featured for his local side in the capital, travelled back and on the Friday, I played for the youth team and netted a hat-trick. From that point a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
Within 18 months, even well before his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut against Luton.
Scott made 83 league appearances for the club while in his teens, often being used as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his versatility and versatility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
With his ability to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he claimed the EFL Championship’s best young player honour, was selected in the division’s best XI and was named the club’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I believe he’ll play for his country and I think he’ll go on to the top of the game,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s manager at Ashton Gate, stated last year.
Less than three months after, he signed for Bournemouth for a understood fee of £25m.
Getting his major transfer
The midfielder endured a challenging first season with the club, waiting until October to earn his Premier League debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then finding himself inconsistent of the starting XI.
His second campaign was just as affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for nearly four months.
“I had quite a good run at the end of last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” said Scott.
“That felt like almost another obstacle 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 regain fitness in time.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they claimed victory in the tournament in the host nation, forming a formidable partnership in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who himself has gone on to impress for the senior side with the national coach.
And he has started the current campaign equally as impressively for his club, featuring in every game to guide them to fifth in the table.
“To play for the national team would be among the most special moments of my life,” Scott stated earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I must continue developing as a player, keep enjoying the game, getting better day on day, and hopefully I impress the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
