When Alex Scott made his local team debut against Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 spectators in 2019, his manager at the time assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
That prediction proved to be something of an understatement.
Now 22 years old and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the playmaker has just received his maiden summons to the full Three Lions team.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to potential international star is a true blast from the past, a story rarely seen in the modern era.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a professional football player, never mind playing in the top division and representing the national team too,” the player said in a recent interview.
“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have changed drastically for me and my family.”
But in what way did Alex Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself at this level?
Learning in non-league
His path in football has not been a typical one.
He was part of four and a half years in the Saints’ youth system starting at eight, leaving school early each Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could train and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth gave him an option and he remained with them for a time, but, as he later admitted, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he chose to remain on Guernsey and play for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to chill at home with my mates at the weekend because I had missed almost four and a half 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 huge for me. That proved to be probably one of the most important things that led me to this point.”
When he was just 16, Scott made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he was introduced as a second-half substitute in their league match at the opposition.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the side because he’s that good,” manager the coach commented at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the way he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Championship side Bristol City – chaired by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking Scott’s development after an promising beginning in adult football and arranged a try-out in December 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” said Scott. “The first day I joined the youth team, the next day I was with the first team, which was a complete surprise.
“Midweek I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, travelled back and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and scored a three goals. From that point a done deal for me to sign a contract.”
In just a year and a half, still well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut versus Luton.
He made 83 league appearances for the Robins while still a teenager, frequently being used as a wide defender – and sometimes further forward as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his adaptability and flexibility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his skill to drive the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to City and England playmaker Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he claimed the second tier’s young player of the season award, was selected in the division’s best XI and was voted Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I believe he’ll play for his country and I think he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the game,” his former manager, Scott’s manager at the club, remarked previously.
Less than 90 days after, he signed for Bournemouth for a understood fee of £25m.
Getting his major transfer
Scott experienced a challenging first season with the Cherries, waiting until the autumn to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then finding himself in and out of the team.
His second campaign was just as affected, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for almost four months.
“I had a decent run at the end of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.
“That felt like yet another setback and it was turning out to be a pretty bad 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 England U21s’ six games as they went on to win the competition in Slovakia, forming a formidable partnership in midfield with his teammate, who in turn has gone on to impress for the first team with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started this season equally as strongly for Bournemouth, playing in all matches to help them to fifth in the table.
“To play for the England senior team would be among the most special moments of my life,” Scott said earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I must keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying the game, improving day on day, and with luck I impress the England manager and get my chance.”
