Back when Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut against Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
That statement turned out to be something of an understatement.
Today aged 22 and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the midfielder has just received his first summons to the full Three Lions squad.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to potential England player is a proper blast from the past, a story seldom seen in the modern era.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of becoming a pro footballer, let alone featuring in the Premier League and representing England as well,” the player stated previously.
“It’s been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and things have changed drastically for myself and my loved ones.”
But in what way did Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up at this level?
Developing in the lower tiers
His path in football has not been a conventional one.
He spent four and a half years in the Saints’ academy setup from the age of eight, leaving school early every Friday to travel by air from his home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could train and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to he turned 13, though, they released him. Bournemouth gave Scott an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind was not in it.
Rather, he opted to stay on Guernsey and play for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he explained.
“I just wanted to relax at my home with my mates at the weekend because I missed nearly four and a half years of doing that. Getting that slice of youth back was something I definitely required.
“To gain a bit of confidence by coming back and taking part in local football was massive for me. It was probably one of the most important factors that led 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 substitute in their Isthmian League match at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could include him in the side because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss the coach commented at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Second-tier club the Robins – owned by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking Scott’s development after an impressive start in men’s football and gave him a trial in December 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” said Scott. “Day one I trained with the under-18s, the second day I was with the first team, which was a complete shock.
“Midweek I featured for his local side in London, travelled back and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and netted a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
Within 18 months, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut versus Luton.
Scott made 83 league appearances for the club while still a teenager, frequently being used as a wide defender – and occasionally in attack as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his adaptability and versatility. Even at that young age 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 rolled down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the EFL Championship’s best young player honour, was chosen in the league’s best XI and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I believe he’ll play for England and I think he’ll go on to the top of the sport,” his former manager, Scott’s boss at the club, remarked last year.
Within three months after, he joined Bournemouth for a understood fee of £25m.
Securing his major transfer
Scott endured a challenging debut campaign with the club, waiting until the autumn to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then being in and out of the team.
His second campaign was just as disrupted, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for nearly four months.
“There was quite a good run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained he.
“It was yet another obstacle and it was shaping up as quite a terrible year for the first half.”
But he was then selected by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in get himself fit for the tournament.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they went on to win the competition in Slovakia, forming a formidable understanding in the middle with his teammate, who himself has gone on to impress for the senior side with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun the current campaign equally as strongly for Bournemouth, featuring in all matches to help them to fifth in the table.
“Representing the national team would be among the most special moments of my career,” Scott stated recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying the game, improving every day, and with luck I catch the eye of the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
