When Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut against Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
This prediction turned out to be something of an underestimation.
Now 22 years old and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the playmaker has earned his first call-up to the senior Three Lions team.
His rise from non-league prodigy to potential international star is a proper throwback, a journey rarely seen in the modern era.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was no chance of becoming a professional football player, never mind playing in the Premier League and playing for the national team too,” the player said previously.
“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have transformed completely for me and my loved ones.”
So in what way did Alex Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up at this level?
Learning in the lower tiers
His path in football has not been a typical 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 the Channel Island to the south coast so he could train and play for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to he turned 13, though, they released him. The Cherries gave him an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart was not in it.
Instead, he chose to remain on the island and turn out for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling every week was starting to feel a bit too much,” he explained.
“I just wanted to relax at home with my mates at the weekend because I had missed almost several years of that experience. To have that little bit of childhood again was a thing I definitely required.
“Building a bit of self-belief by coming back and playing island football was huge for me. It was probably one of the most important factors that got me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, Scott became the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a second-half substitute in their Isthmian League match at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the side because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss the coach commented at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the way he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the professional game
Second-tier club the Robins – owned by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring his development after an promising beginning in men’s football and arranged a trial in December 2019.
“It was chaos,” said the player. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the next day I trained with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.
“On the Wednesday I featured for Guernsey FC in the capital, returned home and on the Friday, I played for the youth team and scored a three goals. It was almost a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
In just 18 months, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut versus Luton.
Scott made eighty-three league outings for the club while in his teens, often being deployed as a wing-back – and occasionally in attack 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.
With his ability to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to City and national team playmaker Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he claimed the second tier’s young player of the season award, was selected in the division’s team of the year and was voted Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I believe he will represent his country and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated previously.
Within three months later, he signed for Bournemouth for a reported transfer fee of £25m.
Getting his major transfer
The midfielder endured a challenging first season with the Cherries, waiting until the autumn to make his top-flight debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then finding himself inconsistent of the team.
His following season was just as affected, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for nearly several months.
“I had quite a good run at the end of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.
“It was almost another obstacle and the year was shaping up as a pretty bad start for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in get himself fit for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six matches as they claimed victory in the tournament in the host nation, developing a strong partnership in midfield with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the senior side under the national coach.
And he has begun the current campaign equally as strongly for Bournemouth, playing in every game to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“Representing the England senior team would be among the most special occasions of my career,” Scott stated recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a player, keep enjoying football, improving every day, and hopefully I impress the national coach and get my chance.”
