When Alex Scott made his local team debut against Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his coach at the time predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
That prediction proved to be a bit of an underestimation.
Now 22 years old and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the playmaker has earned his first summons to the senior England team.
His rise from non-league prodigy to possible England player is a true throwback, a story rarely seen in the modern era.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of becoming a pro footballer, never mind playing in the top division and playing for England as well,” Scott said in a recent interview.
“It has been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have changed completely for me and my family.”
But how did Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up at this level?
Learning in the lower tiers
His path in football has not been a conventional one.
He was part of four and a half years in the Saints’ youth system from the age of eight, leaving school early each Friday to fly from his home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could attend training and play for the club’s academy sides.
Before he turned 13, however, they released him. The Cherries gave Scott an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, as he later admitted, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he opted to remain on Guernsey and turn out for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and traveling weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to chill at my home with my friends at the weekend because I had missed almost several years of doing that. To have that slice of youth again was something I really needed.
“To gain a bit of self-belief by returning and taking part in local football was massive for me. It was probably the most crucial things that led me to this point.”
When he was just 16, Scott became the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a second-half replacement in their league match at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the team because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance commented at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the way he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Championship side Bristol City – chaired by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring his development after an promising beginning in adult football and arranged a trial in December 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” said the player. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the next day I trained with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.
“On the Wednesday I played for his local side in the capital, travelled back and on the Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a hat-trick. It was almost a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
In just a year and a half, still well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut against Luton.
He went on to make eighty-three league appearances for the club while in his teens, frequently being deployed as a wing-back – and occasionally in attack as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his versatility and versatility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was their best player.
With his ability to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to City and national team attacking midfielder Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the second tier’s young player of the season honour, was selected in the division’s team of the year and was named the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I believe he’ll play for England and I’m sure he will progress to the pinnacle of the sport,” his former manager, Scott’s manager at Ashton Gate, stated previously.
Within three months after, he signed for the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of £25m.
Getting his big move
The midfielder experienced a difficult debut campaign with the Cherries, having to wait until October to make his Premier League debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then being inconsistent of the team.
His second campaign was just as affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for almost several months.
“There was quite a good run at the close of last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained 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 called up by the national team for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in regain fitness in time.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, developing a strong partnership 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 just as impressively for Bournemouth, playing in all matches to help them to the top five in the table.
“Representing the England senior team would be among the most special occasions of my life,” Scott said recently.
“It’s down to me, I must continue developing as a player, keep enjoying the game, improving day on day, and with luck I impress the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
