Back 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.”
This prediction turned out to be a bit of an underestimation.
Today aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the playmaker has just received his first summons to the full England team.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to potential England player is a true throwback, a story rarely seen in the modern era.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was no chance of making it as a pro footballer, never mind featuring in the top division and playing for the national team as well,” the player stated previously.
“It’s been a crazy five or six years of my life, and circumstances have transformed drastically for me and my loved ones.”
But how did Alex Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself here?
Learning in the lower tiers
Scott’s football journey has not been a typical one.
He was part of four and a half years in the Saints’ youth system starting at eight, leaving school early every Friday to travel by air from his home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could train and play for the club’s academy sides.
Before he turned 13, however, they decided to let him go. The Cherries were willing to offer him an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart was not in it.
Rather, he opted to remain on Guernsey and turn out for his local team.
“My form had dipped and traveling weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he explained.
“I just wanted to relax at home with my mates at weekends because I had missed almost four and a half years of that experience. Getting that little bit of youth back was something I definitely needed.
“Building a bit of self-belief by returning and taking part in island football was huge for me. That proved to be perhaps the most crucial factors that got me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, the teenager made history as 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 had sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could get him in the side because his talent is obvious,” manager Tony Vance commented at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the professional game
Championship side the Robins – owned by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring Scott’s development after an promising beginning in adult football and gave him a trial in late 2019.
“It was hectic,” said Scott. “Day one I trained with the under-18s, the next day I trained with the first team, which was a complete surprise.
“On the Wednesday I featured for his local side in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a three goals. From that point a certainty for me to sign a contract.”
In just 18 months, still well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut versus Luton.
He went on to make eighty-three league outings for the Robins while in his teens, frequently being used as a wing-back – and occasionally in attack as a attacking midfielder – such was his versatility and versatility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
With his ability to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to City and national team attacking midfielder Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he claimed the EFL Championship’s young player of the season honour, was selected in the division’s best XI and was voted Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I think he will represent his country and I think he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at Ashton Gate, remarked last year.
Within three months later, he joined Bournemouth for a reported transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his major transfer
Scott endured a challenging first season with the Cherries, waiting until October to make his top-flight debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.
His following season was equally affected, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for almost four months.
“I had a decent run at the end of last season, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.
“It was almost another setback and it was shaping up as quite a terrible year 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 started five of the Young Lions’ six games as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, forming a formidable understanding in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has gone on to impress for the senior side with the national coach.
And he has started the current campaign equally as strongly for his club, featuring in all matches to guide them to fifth in the standings.
“To play for the national team would be among the most special moments of my life,” Scott said earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, maintain my love for football, getting better day on day, and hopefully I impress the national coach and get my chance.”
