Back when Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut against Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
This prediction turned out to be something of an understatement.
Today 22 years old and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the playmaker has earned his maiden summons to the senior Three Lions team.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to possible England player is a true throwback, a journey rarely seen in the modern game.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of making it as a professional football player, let alone featuring in the Premier League and representing the national team as well,” the player stated in a recent interview.
“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and things have changed completely for me and my loved ones.”
But how did Alex Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up at this level?
Learning in non-league
Scott’s football journey has not been a typical one.
He was part of over four years in Southampton’s academy setup starting at eight, leaving school early each Friday to travel by air from his island home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could train 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 remained with them for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he opted to remain on Guernsey and play for his local team.
“My form had dipped and flying over every week was becoming overwhelming,” he explained.
“I just wanted to chill at my home with my friends at the weekend because I missed almost several years of doing that. To have that little bit of youth again was something I really needed.
“To gain a bit of self-belief by returning and playing island football was huge for me. It was probably one of the most important factors that led me to this point.”
When he was just 16, Scott became the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a second-half replacement in their league fixture at the opposition.
“I had sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could include him in the team because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss the coach commented at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Second-tier club the Robins – chaired by islander Steve Lansdown – had been tracking his development after an promising beginning in men’s football and arranged a try-out in late 2019.
“It was hectic,” said Scott. “The first day I joined the under-18s, the next day I was with the first team, which was a total shock.
“Midweek I featured for Guernsey FC in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a hat-trick. From that point a done deal for me to sign a deal.”
In just 18 months, even well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut versus the Hatters.
Scott went on to make eighty-three league outings for the club while in his teens, often being used as a wing-back – and sometimes further forward as a number 10 – demonstrating his versatility and flexibility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his ability to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to City and England attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the EFL Championship’s young player of the season award, was chosen in the division’s best XI and was voted the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I think he’ll play for England and I think he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the sport,” his former manager, the player’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.
Less than three months later, he joined Bournemouth for a reported fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his big move
The midfielder endured a difficult first season with the club, having to wait until the autumn to earn his top-flight debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then being in and out of the team.
His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for almost four months.
“I had a decent run at the close of last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” said Scott.
“That felt like yet another setback and the year was turning out to be a pretty bad start for the first half.”
But he was then selected 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 games as they went on to win the competition in the host nation, forming a formidable understanding in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has gone on to impress for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun the current campaign just as strongly for Bournemouth, playing in all matches to help them to the top five in the table.
“Representing the England senior team would be among the most special moments of my life,” the player stated earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to continue developing as a player, maintain my love for the game, getting better every day, and hopefully I impress the national coach and get my chance.”
