When Alex Scott made his local team debut against Phoenix Sports before just 55 spectators in 2019, his coach at the time predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
This statement proved to be a bit of an understatement.
Now 22 years old and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the midfielder has just received his first call-up to the full Three Lions squad.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to possible international star is a true blast from the past, a journey rarely told in the modern game.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of making it as a pro footballer, let alone featuring in the top division and representing the national team too,” Scott stated previously.
“It’s been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and things have changed drastically for myself and my family.”
So in what way did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up at this level?
Learning in non-league
Scott’s football journey has not been a typical one.
He was part of over four years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, leaving school early every Friday to travel by air from his island home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could train and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Before he turned 13, though, 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, as he later admitted, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he opted to remain on the island and play for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over 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 several years of that experience. To have that slice of childhood again was a thing I definitely required.
“Building a bit of confidence by coming back and playing island football was huge for me. It was probably one of the most important things that got me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, Scott made history as the youngest player 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 trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could get him in the side because his talent is obvious,” manager the coach commented at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the way he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Second-tier club Bristol City – chaired by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking Scott’s early progress after an impressive beginning in adult football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled Scott. “Day one I trained with the under-18s, the second day I trained with the first team, which was a complete shock.
“On the Wednesday I featured for his local side in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and netted a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to sign a deal.”
Within 18 months, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut against the Hatters.
Scott made 83 league appearances for the club while still a teenager, often being used as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his adaptability and flexibility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was their best player.
With his skill to carry the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and England playmaker Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he won the second tier’s young player of the season 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 will progress to the top of the game,” his former manager, Scott’s manager at the club, stated previously.
Within three months later, he joined Bournemouth for a reported transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his major transfer
Scott endured a challenging first season with the Cherries, having to wait until the autumn to earn his top-flight debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.
His second campaign was just as affected, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for almost several months.
“I had a decent run at the close of last season, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained Scott.
“It was yet another setback and the year was turning out to be quite a terrible year for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in regain fitness in time.
He started five of the England U21s’ six games as they went on to win the competition in the host nation, developing a formidable partnership in the middle with his teammate, who himself has gone on to impress for the first team under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started this season equally as impressively for his club, playing in all matches to guide them to fifth in the standings.
“Representing the England senior team would be among the most special occasions of my life,” the player stated recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for football, improving day on day, and hopefully I impress the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
