When Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut against Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his coach back then assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
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 full England squad.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to possible international star is a true throwback, a story rarely told in the modern game.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a professional football player, let alone playing in the top division and representing England as well,” the player said previously.
“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for myself and my loved ones.”
So how did Alex Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up here?
Learning in non-league
His football journey has not been a typical one.
He was part of four and a half years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, leaving school early every Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could attend training and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to his 13th birthday, though, they released him. The Cherries were willing to offer Scott an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, as he later admitted, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he opted to remain on Guernsey and play for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over weekly was becoming a bit too much,” he explained.
“I just wanted to relax at home with my friends at weekends because I had missed almost four and a half years of doing that. To have that little bit of youth again was a thing I definitely needed.
“Building some self-belief by coming back and taking part in local football was huge for me. That proved to be perhaps one of the most important factors that got me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, Scott made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he was introduced as a second-half replacement in their league match at Phoenix Sports.
“I had sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could get him in the team because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance commented back then.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the way he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Second-tier club Bristol City – owned by islander their owner – 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 hectic,” recalled Scott. “Day one I trained with the youth team, the second day I was with the first team, which was a complete surprise.
“On the Wednesday I featured for his local side in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and netted a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
Within 18 months, still well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut versus the Hatters.
He made 83 league appearances for the club while in his teens, frequently being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally in attack as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his versatility and flexibility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his ability to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to City and England playmaker Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the second tier’s best young player award, was selected in the league’s best XI and was named the club’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I believe he’ll play for England and I’m sure he will progress to the pinnacle of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s manager at Ashton Gate, stated last year.
Less than three months later, he joined Bournemouth for a understood transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his big move
Scott experienced a challenging debut campaign with the Cherries, having to wait until the autumn to make his top-flight debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then finding himself in and out of the starting XI.
His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for almost four months.
“There was quite a good run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained he.
“That felt like almost another setback and it was shaping up as a pretty bad year for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the U21 Euros – and managed to regain fitness in time.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six matches as they claimed victory in the tournament in Slovakia, developing a formidable partnership in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has excelled for the senior side under the national coach.
And he has started this season just as strongly for Bournemouth, featuring in every game to guide them to fifth in the table.
“Representing the national team would be among the most special occasions of my life,” Scott stated recently.
“It’s down to me, I must keep progressing as a footballer, maintain my love for football, improving day on day, and hopefully I impress the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
