Back when Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut against Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his manager at the time assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
That statement proved to be a bit of an understatement.
Now 22 years old and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the playmaker has just received his first summons to the full Three Lions squad.
His rise from non-league prodigy to possible international star is a true throwback, a story seldom told in the modern era.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was no chance of becoming a pro footballer, let alone featuring in the Premier League and representing the national team too,” the player said previously.
“It has been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have changed completely for me and my loved ones.”
So in what way did Alex Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up at this level?
Learning in the lower tiers
Scott’s path in football has been far from a typical one.
He was part of four and a half years in Southampton’s academy setup starting at eight, skipping school each Friday to travel by air from his island home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could train and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before his 13th birthday, though, they released him. Bournemouth gave him an option and he remained with them for a time, but, as he later admitted, his mind was not in it.
Rather, he chose to stay on the island and play for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and flying over weekly was starting to feel a bit too much,” he explained.
“I just wanted to relax at home with my friends at the weekend because I had missed nearly several years of that experience. Getting that little bit of childhood again was something I definitely required.
“Building some self-belief by returning and playing local football was huge for me. That proved to be perhaps the most crucial factors that got me to this point.”
At the age of 16, Scott made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a second-half substitute in their league match at the opposition.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the team because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss the coach commented at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the way he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Second-tier club the Robins – chaired by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking his early progress after an impressive beginning in adult football and arranged a try-out in December 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” said the player. “Day one I trained with the under-18s, the second day I was with the first team, which was a complete shock.
“On the Wednesday I featured for his local side in London, travelled back and on the Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a hat-trick. It was almost a certainty for me to sign a contract.”
Within 18 months, still well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut against the Hatters.
He went on to make 83 league outings for the club while still a teenager, often being used as a wing-back – and sometimes further forward as a number 10 – such was his versatility and flexibility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was their best player.
With his skill to drive the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the second tier’s best young player honour, was selected in the league’s best XI and was named the club’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I believe he will represent England and I’m sure he’ll go on to the top of the sport,” his former manager, the player’s boss at the club, remarked previously.
Less than three months later, he joined Bournemouth for a understood fee of £25m.
Getting his big move
Scott endured a difficult debut campaign with the Cherries, waiting 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 second campaign was equally affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for nearly four months.
“I had a decent run at the end of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained he.
“That felt like yet another setback and it was shaping up as quite a terrible start for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to regain fitness in time.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six matches as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, forming a strong partnership in midfield with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the first team under the national coach.
And he has started this season just as strongly for Bournemouth, playing in all matches to guide them to fifth in the standings.
“To play for the England senior 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 the game, improving every day, and with luck I impress the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
