Back when Alex Scott made his local team debut against Phoenix Sports before just 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then assured, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
This prediction turned out to be something of an underestimation.
Today 22 years old and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the midfielder has just received his first summons to the full Three Lions team.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to potential England player is a true throwback, a journey rarely told in the modern era.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was no chance of becoming a professional football player, let alone featuring in the top division and playing for England as well,” the player said in a recent interview.
“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and things have transformed completely for me and my loved ones.”
But how did Alex Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up at this level?
Developing in non-league
His path in football has not been a conventional one.
He spent over four years in the Saints’ youth system starting at eight, leaving school early every Friday to fly from his island home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could attend training and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to he turned 13, though, they decided to let him go. The Cherries gave him an opportunity and he remained with them for a while, but, as he later admitted, his heart was not in it.
Instead, he chose to stay on the island and play for his local team.
“My form had dipped and flying over every week was becoming overwhelming,” he explained.
“All I desired to chill at home with my friends at the weekend because I missed almost four and a half years of that experience. Getting that slice of childhood back was a thing I definitely required.
“To gain some self-belief by coming back and taking part in local football was massive for me. It was probably one of the most important factors that got me to this point.”
When he was just 16, Scott became the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a 57th-minute substitute in their Isthmian League fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could include him in the side because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss the coach commented back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the manner he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Second-tier club the Robins – chaired by islander their owner – had been monitoring Scott’s early progress after an promising beginning in adult football and gave him a try-out in late 2019.
“It was hectic,” said the player. “The first day I trained with the youth team, the second day I was with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.
“On the Wednesday I played for his local side in London, travelled back and on the Friday, I played for the youth team and scored a hat-trick. From that point a certainty for me to sign a contract.”
Within 18 months, even well before his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut versus the Hatters.
Scott went on to make 83 league outings for the Robins while still a teenager, frequently being used as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – such was his versatility and flexibility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his ability to carry the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to City and England playmaker Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he won the EFL Championship’s best young player honour, was selected in the league’s team of the year and was voted the club’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I think he will represent his country and I’m sure he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the game,” his former manager, Scott’s manager at the club, remarked previously.
Less than 90 days after, he joined Bournemouth for a reported fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his big move
Scott endured a difficult first season with the Cherries, having to wait until October to earn his top-flight debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then being in and out of the starting XI.
His second campaign was just as disrupted, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for nearly several months.
“There was quite a good run at the end of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said Scott.
“It was almost another setback and the year was shaping up as quite a terrible year for the first half.”
But he was then called up by England for the U21 Euros – and managed to get himself fit for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they went on to win the tournament in the host nation, developing a strong partnership in midfield with his teammate, who in turn has gone on to impress for the senior side with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun the current campaign just as strongly for Bournemouth, featuring in all matches to help them to the top five in the standings.
“To play for the England senior team would be among the most special moments of my life,” the player stated earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, keep enjoying the game, improving every day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
