Back when Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports before just 55 fans in 2019, his manager at the time assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
That prediction turned out to be a bit of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has just received his maiden call-up to the senior England team.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to possible international star is a proper throwback, a journey rarely told in the modern game.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a professional football player, never mind featuring in the top division and playing for England too,” Scott stated in a recent interview.
“It has been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and things have changed completely for myself and my loved ones.”
So in what way did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up at this level?
Learning in the lower tiers
His path in football has been far from a typical one.
He spent four and a half years in Southampton’s academy setup starting at eight, leaving school early each Friday to travel by air from his home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could attend training and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before his 13th birthday, though, they released him. The Cherries gave him an opportunity and he remained with them for a while, but, as he later admitted, his heart was not in it.
Rather, he chose to stay on the island and play for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and flying over every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he explained.
“I just wanted to chill at my home with my mates at the weekend because I missed almost several years of that experience. Getting that slice of youth back was a thing I definitely required.
“Building a bit of confidence by coming back and taking part in local football was massive for me. That proved to be perhaps one of the most important things that led me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, the teenager made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a second-half replacement in their league fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could get him in the team because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss the coach commented at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the way he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Championship side Bristol City – owned by islander their owner – had been tracking Scott’s development after an impressive start in adult football and arranged a try-out in late 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” said the player. “Day one I trained with the youth team, the second day I trained with the first team, which was a total shock.
“On the Wednesday I played for his local side 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.”
In just 18 months, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut versus the Hatters.
He went on to make eighty-three league appearances for the Robins while still a teenager, often being deployed as a wing-back – and sometimes in attack as a attacking midfielder – such was his adaptability and versatility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was their best player.
With his ability to drive the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he won the EFL Championship’s best young player award, was chosen in the league’s team of the year and was voted the club’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I believe he’ll play for England and I’m sure he will progress to the pinnacle of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.
Within three months later, he joined Bournemouth for a reported fee of £25m.
Securing his big move
The midfielder endured a difficult 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 in and out of the starting XI.
His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for nearly four months.
“There was a decent run at the close of last season, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” said Scott.
“That felt like almost another setback and the year was shaping up as quite a terrible year for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by England for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in get himself fit for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six games as they went on to win the competition in the host nation, developing a strong understanding in midfield with his teammate, who himself has gone on to impress for the first team with the national coach.
And he has begun this season just as impressively for his club, featuring in every game to guide them to fifth in the table.
“Representing the England senior team would be among the most special moments of my life,” Scott said earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, maintain my love for football, getting better day on day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
