When Alex Scott made his local team debut against Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager at the time predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
That prediction proved to be something of an underestimation.
Now 22 years old and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the midfielder has earned his maiden summons to the full England squad.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to possible England player is a true throwback, a journey seldom seen in the modern game.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of becoming a pro footballer, let alone featuring in the top division and representing the national team too,” Scott said previously.
“It has been a incredible five or six years of my life, and things have changed drastically for myself and my family.”
So how did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up at this level?
Learning in non-league
His path in football has been far from a typical one.
He was part of over four years in the Saints’ youth system from the age of eight, leaving school early every Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could attend training and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before he turned 13, though, they decided to let him go. The Cherries gave Scott an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, as he later admitted, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he opted to stay on Guernsey and play for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and flying over every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.
“All I desired to relax at my home with my mates at weekends because I missed almost four and a half years of that experience. Getting that little bit of youth back was a thing I really needed.
“Building some confidence by returning and taking part in island football was massive for me. It was probably one of the most important things that got me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, Scott became the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a 57th-minute replacement in their Isthmian League fixture at the opposition.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the team because he’s that good,” manager the coach stated at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the manner he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the professional game
Championship side Bristol City – owned by islander their owner – had been monitoring his early progress after an impressive start in adult football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.
“It was hectic,” recalled the player. “The first day I joined the under-18s, the second day I was with the first team, which was a complete surprise.
“Midweek I played for Guernsey FC in London, returned home and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a three goals. From that point a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
In just a year and a half, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut against Luton.
He went on to make eighty-three league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, often being deployed as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his versatility and versatility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was their best player.
With his ability to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he claimed the EFL Championship’s best young player award, was selected in the league’s best XI and was named the club’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I believe he will represent his country and I’m sure he’ll go on to the top of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s manager at the club, stated previously.
Less than 90 days after, he joined the Cherries for a understood fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his major transfer
Scott endured a difficult first season with the club, waiting until October to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then finding himself inconsistent of the team.
His following season was equally affected, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for nearly four months.
“I had a decent run at the end of last season, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained Scott.
“It was almost another setback and it 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 regain fitness in time.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six matches as they claimed victory in the tournament in the host nation, forming a formidable partnership in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who himself has gone on to impress for the first team under the national coach.
And he has started the current campaign equally as impressively for Bournemouth, playing in all matches to help them to fifth in the table.
“To play for the England senior team would be among the most special moments of my career,” the player stated earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, maintain my love for the game, getting better day on day, and with luck I impress the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
