Back when Alex Scott made his local team debut against Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his coach at the time assured, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
That statement turned out to be something of an understatement.
Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the midfielder has earned his first summons to the senior England team.
His rise from non-league prodigy to possible international star is a proper throwback, a story seldom told in the modern era.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of making it as a pro footballer, never mind playing in the top division and representing England too,” Scott stated in a recent interview.
“It has been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and things have changed drastically for me and my loved ones.”
But how did Alex Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself at this level?
Developing in non-league
Scott’s path in football has not been a conventional one.
He spent four and a half years in the Saints’ youth system from the age of eight, skipping school each Friday to fly from his island home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could train and play for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to he turned 13, however, they released him. Bournemouth 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 chose to remain on Guernsey and turn out for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling weekly was becoming a bit too much,” he recalled.
“All I desired to relax at home with my friends at weekends because I missed nearly four and a half years of doing that. Getting that slice of youth again was something I really needed.
“Building a bit of confidence by coming back and taking part in island football was massive for me. It was perhaps one of the most important things that got me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, Scott became the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a 57th-minute substitute in their Isthmian League match at Phoenix Sports.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could get him in the side because he’s that good,” manager the coach stated back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Championship side the Robins – chaired by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking his early progress after an promising beginning in men’s football and gave him a trial in late 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” said the player. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the second day I trained with the senior squad, which was a total shock.
“Midweek I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I played for the youth team and scored a three goals. From that point a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
Within a year and a half, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut versus the Hatters.
He made 83 league outings for the club while still a teenager, frequently being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his versatility and versatility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was their best player.
With his skill to carry the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team playmaker Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he won the second tier’s best young player award, was chosen in the division’s best XI and was named Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I believe he’ll play for England and I’m sure he will progress to the pinnacle of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s boss at Ashton Gate, remarked last year.
Less than 90 days after, he signed for the Cherries for a understood transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his big move
The midfielder endured a challenging first season with the club, having to wait until the autumn to earn his top-flight debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then being in and out of the starting XI.
His following season was equally affected, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for nearly several months.
“I had quite a good run at the end of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said Scott.
“That felt like almost another setback and the year was turning out to be quite a terrible year for the first half.”
But he was then selected by England for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in regain fitness in time.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six games as they claimed victory in the competition in the host nation, developing a formidable partnership in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has excelled for the senior side with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun the current campaign just as strongly for Bournemouth, playing in all matches to help them to fifth in the table.
“Representing the national team would be among the most special occasions of my career,” the player stated earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to continue developing as a player, keep enjoying football, improving every day, and hopefully I impress the national coach and get my chance.”
