When Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut against Phoenix Sports before just 55 fans in 2019, his coach at the time assured, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
That statement proved to be something of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his maiden call-up to the full England squad.
His rise from non-league prodigy to potential international star is a true throwback, a journey rarely seen in the modern era.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was no chance of making it as a professional football player, let alone featuring in the top division and playing for the national team too,” Scott stated previously.
“It has been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for me and my loved ones.”
But how did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up here?
Developing in the lower tiers
His path in football has been far from a typical one.
He was part of four and a half years in the Saints’ academy setup from the age of eight, skipping school each Friday to travel by air from his home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could train and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Before he turned 13, though, they released him. The Cherries were willing to offer Scott an option and he was on the Cherries’ books 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 every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he explained.
“I just wanted to chill at home with my mates at weekends because I missed nearly several years of that experience. To have that slice of childhood back was something I definitely needed.
“Building some confidence by returning and taking part in island football was massive for me. That proved to be probably the most crucial things that got me to this point.”
When he was just 16, Scott made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a second-half replacement in their league match at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could include him in the team because he’s that good,” manager the coach stated back then.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the manner he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the professional game
Second-tier club Bristol City – chaired by islander their owner – had been monitoring his development after an impressive beginning in men’s football and arranged a trial in December 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled Scott. “Day one I joined the youth team, the next day I was with the first team, which was a total shock.
“Midweek I played for Guernsey FC in London, travelled back and on the Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a three goals. From that point a done deal for me to sign a contract.”
In just a year and a half, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut versus the Hatters.
He made 83 league appearances for the Robins while still a teenager, frequently being deployed as a wide defender – and sometimes further forward as a number 10 – such was his adaptability and flexibility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his skill to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he won the EFL Championship’s young player of the season award, was selected in the division’s team of the year and was voted Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I believe he’ll play for his country and I’m sure he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the sport,” his former manager, Scott’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.
Within 90 days after, he signed for Bournemouth for a reported transfer fee of £25m.
Getting his major transfer
The midfielder endured a challenging first season 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 affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for nearly several months.
“There was a decent run at the close of last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.
“That felt like almost another obstacle and the year was turning out to be quite a terrible start for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to regain fitness in time.
He started five of the England U21s’ six games as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, forming a formidable partnership in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who himself has excelled for the senior side with the national coach.
And he has started this season just as strongly for his club, featuring in all matches to guide them to fifth in the table.
“To play for the England senior team would be one of the proudest occasions of my life,” the player stated earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I must continue developing as a player, maintain my love for the game, getting better day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”
