Back when Alex Scott made his local team debut against Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his manager back then assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
This prediction proved to be a bit of an understatement.
Now 22 years old and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the playmaker has earned his maiden summons to the full England team.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to possible international star is a true blast from the past, a journey rarely seen in the modern era.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of becoming a pro footballer, never mind featuring in the top division and representing England as well,” Scott said previously.
“It has been a crazy five or six years of my life, and circumstances have transformed completely for myself and my loved ones.”
So in what way did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up here?
Learning in non-league
His football journey has not been a conventional one.
He spent four and a half years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, leaving school early every Friday to travel by air from his island home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could attend training and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth were willing to offer him an opportunity and he remained with them for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he opted to remain on Guernsey and turn out for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over weekly was starting to feel a bit too much,” he recalled.
“All I desired to relax at my home with my mates at weekends because I had missed almost several years of that experience. Getting that little bit of childhood back was a thing I definitely required.
“To gain some confidence by coming back and taking part in local football was massive for me. That proved to be probably the most crucial factors that got me to this point.”
When he was just 16, Scott became the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he came on as a 57th-minute replacement in their Isthmian League fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the team because he’s that good,” manager Tony Vance commented at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the way he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Championship side Bristol City – chaired by islander their owner – had been tracking his early progress after an promising start in adult football and gave him a trial in December 2019.
“It was chaos,” recalled the player. “Day one I trained with the under-18s, the next day I was with the senior squad, which was a total shock.
“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, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut against the Hatters.
He went on to make 83 league appearances for the Robins while still a teenager, frequently being used as a wide defender – and sometimes in attack as a number 10 – such was his versatility and versatility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his skill to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the second tier’s young player of the season honour, was selected in the league’s best XI and was voted Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I believe he’ll play for England and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the game,” his former manager, the player’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated last year.
Less than three months after, he joined the Cherries for a reported fee of £25m.
Securing his major transfer
Scott experienced a challenging first season with the club, having to wait until October to make his top-flight debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.
His following season was just as disrupted, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for almost several months.
“I had quite a good run at the end of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said Scott.
“That felt like almost another obstacle and the year was shaping up as a pretty bad year for the first half.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in regain fitness for the tournament.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six games as they claimed victory in the tournament in Slovakia, developing a strong understanding in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has excelled for the senior side with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started this season just as strongly for his club, featuring in every game to help them to the top five in the standings.
“Representing the England senior team would be among the most special occasions of my life,” Scott stated recently.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, maintain my love for football, improving day on day, and hopefully I impress the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
