When Alex Scott made his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 spectators in 2019, his coach at the time assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
That statement proved to be a bit of an understatement.
Now aged 22 and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the playmaker has earned his first summons to the full Three Lions team.
His rise from non-league prodigy to possible international star is a true blast from the past, a story rarely told in the modern game.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a professional football player, never mind playing in the Premier League and playing for England too,” the player said in a recent interview.
“It has been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and things have transformed completely for myself and my family.”
But how did Alex Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself at this level?
Developing in non-league
Scott’s football journey has not been a conventional one.
He was part of over four years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, leaving school early every Friday to travel by air from his home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could attend training and play for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to his 13th birthday, though, they decided to let him go. The Cherries were willing to offer Scott an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind was not in it.
Instead, he opted to remain on the island and turn out for his local team.
“My form had dipped and flying over every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he explained.
“All I desired to chill at my home with my friends at the weekend because I missed nearly several years of doing that. Getting that slice of childhood again was something I definitely needed.
“To gain a bit of self-belief by returning and taking part in island football was huge for me. That proved to be probably one of the most important factors that got me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, the teenager became the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a 57th-minute substitute in their Isthmian League fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could get him in the side because his talent is obvious,” manager the coach stated back then.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the manner he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Championship side the Robins – chaired by islander their owner – had been monitoring his development after an impressive start in adult football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.
“It was hectic,” said the player. “Day one I trained with the under-18s, the next day I trained with the first team, which was a complete surprise.
“Midweek I featured for his local side in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a hat-trick. From that point a certainty for me to sign a deal.”
Within 18 months, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut against Luton.
Scott made eighty-three league appearances for the Robins while still a teenager, often being deployed as a wide defender – and sometimes in attack as a number 10 – demonstrating his versatility and flexibility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his ability to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to City and England playmaker Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he claimed the EFL Championship’s best young player honour, was selected in the league’s best XI and was named the club’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I believe he will represent his country and I think he will progress to the pinnacle of the game,” his former manager, Scott’s boss at Ashton Gate, remarked last year.
Within three months later, he joined Bournemouth for a reported fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his major transfer
The midfielder experienced a challenging first season with the club, having to wait until October to make his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then finding himself inconsistent of the starting XI.
His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for nearly several months.
“I had quite a good run at the close of last season, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said Scott.
“That felt like almost another setback and it was turning out to be a pretty bad year for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in regain fitness for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, developing a formidable understanding in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has excelled for the senior side under the national coach.
And he has begun the current campaign equally as impressively for his club, featuring in every game to help them to fifth in the standings.
“To play for the England senior team would be among the most special moments of my career,” the player stated earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for the game, improving every day, and hopefully I impress the England manager and get my chance.”
