Back when Alex Scott made his local team debut against Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 fans in 2019, his coach at the time predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
This prediction turned out to be a bit of an understatement.
Today 22 years old and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the midfielder has just received his maiden summons to the senior England team.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to potential international star is a true throwback, a journey rarely seen in the modern game.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of becoming a pro footballer, never mind featuring in the top division and representing England too,” the player stated previously.
“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have transformed drastically for me and my family.”
But how did Alex Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up at this level?
Developing in the lower tiers
Scott’s football journey has been far from a typical one.
He spent four and a half years in Southampton’s academy setup starting at eight, skipping school every Friday to travel by air from his home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could attend training and play for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they released him. The Cherries gave him an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, as he later admitted, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he opted to remain on the island and turn out for his local team.
“My form had dipped and traveling every week was becoming overwhelming,” he explained.
“All I desired to chill at my home with my friends at the weekend because I had missed nearly several years of doing that. To have that little bit of youth back was something I definitely required.
“Building a bit of self-belief by returning and taking part in island football was huge for me. That proved to be perhaps one of the most important things that got me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, Scott made history as the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a second-half substitute in their league fixture at the opposition.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the side because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance commented at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Championship side Bristol City – owned by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring Scott’s early progress after an impressive beginning in men’s football and arranged a try-out in late 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” recalled Scott. “Day one I joined the youth team, the next day I trained with the senior squad, which was a total shock.
“Midweek I featured for Guernsey FC in London, travelled back and by Friday, I played for the youth team and netted a hat-trick. It was almost a done deal for me to sign a contract.”
In just a year and a half, even well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut against Luton.
Scott went on to make 83 league appearances for the club while in his teens, frequently being used as a wide defender – and occasionally in attack as a number 10 – demonstrating his adaptability and flexibility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
With his skill to drive the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and England attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he claimed the second tier’s best young player award, was selected in the division’s best XI and was voted the club’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I think he’ll play for England and I think he will progress to the top of the game,” his former manager, Scott’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated previously.
Less than three months later, he joined the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of £25m.
Getting his major transfer
The midfielder endured a difficult debut campaign with the club, waiting until the autumn to make his top-flight debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then being in and out of the team.
His following season was just as disrupted, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for almost four months.
“I had quite a good run at the end of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained Scott.
“It was almost another obstacle and the year was shaping up as a pretty bad year for the first half.”
But he was then selected by England for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in regain fitness in time.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they claimed victory in the competition in the host nation, forming a strong understanding in the middle with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the senior side with the national coach.
And he has started the current campaign just as impressively for Bournemouth, playing in all matches to help them to the top five in the table.
“Representing the national team would be one of the proudest moments of my career,” the player stated earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, improving every day, and with luck I catch the eye of the national coach and get my chance.”
