When Alex Scott made his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports before just 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
This statement proved to be something of an understatement.
Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has earned his maiden summons to the senior England squad.
His rise from non-league prodigy to potential international star is a proper blast from the past, a story seldom seen in the modern game.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a pro footballer, never mind featuring in the top division and playing for the national team too,” the player said previously.
“It has been a incredible five or six years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for myself and my loved ones.”
So how did Alex Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself at this level?
Learning in non-league
His football journey has been far from a typical one.
He spent over four years in the Saints’ academy setup from the age of 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.
Prior to his 13th birthday, though, they released him. The Cherries gave him an option 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 stay on the island and play for his local team.
“My form had dipped and flying over every week was starting to feel a bit too much,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to chill at home with my friends at the weekend because I had missed almost several years of that experience. To have that slice of childhood back was something I definitely required.
“To gain some self-belief by coming back and taking part in island football was huge for me. That proved to be perhaps one of the most important things that led me to this point.”
At the age of 16, the teenager made history as the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a second-half substitute in their league match at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the team because his talent is obvious,” manager the coach stated at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the manner he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the professional game
Championship side the Robins – owned by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking Scott’s early progress after an promising start in men’s football and arranged a try-out in late 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.
“On the Wednesday I played for his local side in London, travelled back and by Friday, I played for the youth team and scored a three goals. From that point a certainty for me to sign a deal.”
In just a year and a half, still well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut versus the Hatters.
He made eighty-three league appearances for the club while still a teenager, often being used as a wide defender – and sometimes in attack as a number 10 – such was his adaptability and flexibility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was their best player.
With his skill 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 nod to Manchester City and national team playmaker Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he won the EFL Championship’s young player of the season honour, was selected in the division’s team of the year and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I believe he’ll play for his country and I think he will progress to the pinnacle of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at the club, remarked last year.
Less than three months after, he signed for Bournemouth for a reported transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his big move
Scott endured a difficult first season with the Cherries, having to wait until October to make his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then being inconsistent of the team.
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 the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said he.
“That felt like yet another obstacle and it was turning out to be a pretty bad year for the first half.”
But he was then selected by England for the U21 Euros – and managed to regain fitness for the tournament.
He started five of the England U21s’ six games as they claimed victory in the tournament in Slovakia, developing a formidable understanding in the middle with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the first team with the national coach.
And he has started this season just as impressively for his club, featuring in all matches to help them to the top five in the table.
“Representing the England senior team would be among the most special occasions of my life,” Scott stated recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to continue developing as a player, keep enjoying football, improving day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”
