Back when Alex Scott made his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
This statement turned out to be a bit of an underestimation.
Now 22 years old and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the playmaker has just received his first summons to the senior England squad.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to potential international star is a true blast from the past, a journey rarely told in the modern era.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of becoming a professional football player, never mind playing in the top division and playing for the national team too,” the player stated in a recent interview.
“It has been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have changed completely for myself and my loved ones.”
So in what way did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself at this level?
Developing in the lower tiers
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, skipping school each Friday to fly from his home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could attend training and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to his 13th birthday, though, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth were willing to offer Scott an option 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 hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to relax at my home with my friends at the weekend because I missed nearly several years of doing that. Getting that little bit of childhood back was a thing I really required.
“To gain some confidence by returning and taking part in local football was massive for me. That proved to be perhaps one of the most important things that led me to this point.”
When he was just 16, the teenager became the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a 57th-minute replacement in their Isthmian League fixture at the opposition.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could get him in the team because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss the coach stated at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the manner he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Second-tier club the Robins – owned by Guernsey resident their owner – had been monitoring Scott’s development after an impressive beginning in adult football and gave him a trial in late 2019.
“It was hectic,” said Scott. “Day one I joined the youth team, the second day I trained with the first team, which was a complete shock.
“Midweek I featured for Guernsey FC in London, returned home and on the Friday, I took the field for the youth team and netted a three goals. It was almost a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
Within a year and a half, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut against the Hatters.
Scott went on to make 83 league outings for the Robins while still a teenager, often being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally in attack as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his versatility and versatility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was their best player.
Thanks to his ability to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to City and England playmaker Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he won the second tier’s best young player honour, was selected in the division’s team of the year and was voted the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I believe he will represent England and I think he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the sport,” his former manager, Scott’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked last year.
Less than 90 days after, he signed for Bournemouth for a reported transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his major transfer
Scott experienced a challenging debut campaign with the Cherries, waiting until the autumn to make his Premier League debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then finding himself in and out of the team.
His second campaign was equally disrupted, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for nearly four months.
“I had a decent run at the close of last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.
“That felt like yet another setback and the year was shaping up as a pretty bad start for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by England for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in get himself fit for the tournament.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six games as they went on to win the competition in Slovakia, developing a formidable understanding in midfield with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the first team under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started this season just as impressively for his club, featuring in every game to help them to the top five in the table.
“To play for the national team would be among the most special occasions of my career,” the player stated earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I must continue developing as a player, keep enjoying football, improving day on day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”
