When Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager back then predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
This statement turned out to be something of an underestimation.
Today 22 years old and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the playmaker has earned his maiden summons to the full England squad.
His rise from non-league prodigy to possible England player is a true blast from the past, a story seldom told in the modern era.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of becoming a professional football player, never mind featuring in the top division and representing England too,” the player stated previously.
“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have changed completely for myself and my family.”
So in what way did Alex Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up here?
Developing in the lower tiers
His football journey has not been a typical one.
He spent over four years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, skipping school every Friday to travel by air from his home on the Channel Island 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 him an opportunity and he remained with them for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he opted to remain on the island and play for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over weekly was starting to feel 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. To have that little bit of childhood again was a thing I definitely required.
“To gain some confidence by returning and taking part in island football was huge for me. It was perhaps the most crucial things that got me to this point.”
At the age of 16, Scott made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a second-half replacement in their Isthmian League fixture at the opposition.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could include him in the team because his talent is obvious,” manager Tony Vance stated back then.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the manner he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Championship side Bristol City – owned by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring Scott’s early progress after an impressive beginning in adult football and arranged a try-out in December 2019.
“It was chaos,” recalled the player. “Day one I trained with the youth team, the next day I trained with the first team, which was a total shock.
“On the Wednesday I featured for Guernsey FC in London, travelled back and on the Friday, I played for the youth team and scored a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
In just 18 months, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut against the Hatters.
He made 83 league outings for the Robins while in his teens, often being used as a wide defender – and sometimes further forward as a number 10 – such was his adaptability and flexibility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
With his ability to carry the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to City and England playmaker Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he won the second tier’s best young player honour, was selected in the league’s best XI and was named the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I think he’ll play for England and I’m sure he’ll go on to the top of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.
Within three months later, he signed for the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of £25m.
Getting his major transfer
Scott experienced a challenging debut campaign with the Cherries, waiting until October to earn his Premier League debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then finding himself in and out of the team.
His second campaign was just as affected, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for almost several months.
“There was 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 start for the first half.”
But he was then selected by England for the U21 Euros – and managed to regain fitness in time.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six games as they claimed victory in the tournament in the host nation, forming a formidable understanding in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who himself has excelled for the first team with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun the current campaign just as impressively for Bournemouth, featuring in all matches to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“To play for the national team would be among the most special occasions of my career,” the player said recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, maintain my love for the game, improving every day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
