When Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut against Phoenix Sports before just 55 spectators in 2019, his coach back then assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
This statement turned out to be something of an underestimation.
Now 22 years old and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the midfielder has just received his maiden summons to the full England squad.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to potential England player is a true throwback, a journey seldom seen in the modern era.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was no chance of becoming a pro footballer, never mind featuring in the top division and representing England too,” the player said in a recent interview.
“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and things have changed drastically for myself and my loved ones.”
So how did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up here?
Developing in the lower tiers
His football journey has not been a typical one.
He was part of over four years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, skipping school each Friday to fly from his home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could train and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to he turned 13, however, they released him. The Cherries gave Scott an option and he remained with them for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind was not in it.
Instead, he opted to stay on Guernsey and turn out for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and flying over every week was becoming a bit too much,” he explained.
“All I desired to relax at my home with my mates at the weekend because I had missed almost four and a half years of that experience. Getting that little bit of childhood again was something I definitely needed.
“Building a bit of self-belief by coming back and taking part in local football was huge for me. It was probably the most crucial things that led me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, Scott became the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a 57th-minute replacement in their league match at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could get him in the team because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss the coach stated at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the way he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Championship side the Robins – chaired by islander Steve Lansdown – had been tracking his development after an promising start in men’s football and arranged a try-out in December 2019.
“It was hectic,” said the player. “The first day I joined the youth team, the next day I trained with the first team, which was a complete surprise.
“On the Wednesday I featured for his local side in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to sign a deal.”
Within 18 months, even well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut versus Luton.
Scott made 83 league appearances for the Robins while still a teenager, frequently being used as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – such was his versatility and flexibility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his skill to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to City and England playmaker Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he claimed the second tier’s young player of the season award, was chosen in the league’s best XI and was named Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I think he’ll play for England and I think he will progress to the pinnacle of the game,” his former manager, the player’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.
Less than 90 days later, he signed for the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his big move
The midfielder experienced a difficult debut campaign with the Cherries, waiting until October to earn 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 ruled him out for almost several months.
“I had a decent run at the end of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained Scott.
“That felt like yet another setback and the year was shaping up as quite a terrible start for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the U21 Euros – and managed to get himself fit in time.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six games as they claimed victory in the competition in the host nation, forming a formidable understanding in midfield with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun the current campaign just as strongly for his club, playing in all matches to help them to fifth in the table.
“To play for the England senior team would be one of the proudest occasions of my life,” the player said earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for football, improving day on day, and with luck I catch the eye of the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
