When Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut against Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 fans in 2019, his manager back then assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
That prediction turned out to be something of an underestimation.
Now 22 years old and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the midfielder has earned his first call-up to the senior England squad.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to possible England player is a true blast from the past, a journey seldom seen in the modern game.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of making it as a pro footballer, let alone featuring in the top division and representing the national team as well,” Scott said previously.
“It has been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and things have changed completely for myself and my family.”
So in what way did Alex Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up at this level?
Learning in non-league
His path in football has not been a typical one.
He spent over four years in the Saints’ academy setup from the age of eight, skipping school every Friday to fly 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, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth gave Scott an option and he remained with them for a time, but, as he later admitted, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he opted to remain on Guernsey and turn out for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over every week was becoming overwhelming,” he explained.
“I just wanted to relax at home with my friends at weekends because I missed nearly several years of doing that. To have that little bit of childhood back was something I definitely needed.
“Building a bit of self-belief by coming back and taking part in island football was massive for me. It was perhaps one of the most important things that got me to this point.”
At the age of 16, the teenager became the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a 57th-minute substitute in their Isthmian League fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the side because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss the coach commented back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Second-tier club the Robins – owned by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring Scott’s early progress after an promising start in men’s football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” recalled the player. “Day one I trained with the youth team, the next day I was with the senior squad, which was a total surprise.
“Midweek I played for his local side in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and netted a hat-trick. From that point a certainty for me to sign a contract.”
In just 18 months, even well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut against the Hatters.
He went on to make eighty-three league outings for the club while still a teenager, often being used as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward 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 drive the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team playmaker Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the second tier’s young player of the season award, was chosen in the division’s team of the year and was voted the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I believe he’ll play for England and I think he will progress to the pinnacle of the game,” his former manager, Scott’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated last year.
Within 90 days later, he joined the Cherries for a understood transfer fee of £25m.
Getting his big move
Scott endured a difficult debut campaign with the club, having to wait until the autumn to make his top-flight 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 ruled him out for nearly four months.
“There was a decent run at the end of last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” said Scott.
“It was almost another setback and the year was turning out to be a pretty bad year for the first half.”
But he was then selected by England for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in regain fitness in time.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, forming a strong partnership in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has gone on to impress for the first team with the national coach.
And he has begun this season just as impressively for Bournemouth, featuring in every game to guide them to fifth in the standings.
“Representing the national team would be among the most special occasions of my career,” Scott stated recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to keep progressing as a player, keep enjoying football, getting better day on day, and with luck I impress the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
