When Alex Scott made his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his coach at the time assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
That statement turned out to be a bit of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the midfielder has earned his first summons to the full Three Lions team.
His rise from non-league prodigy to possible England player is a proper throwback, a story rarely told in the modern game.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was no chance of becoming a professional football player, never mind playing in the Premier League and representing the national team too,” Scott stated in a recent interview.
“It’s been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have transformed completely for me and my family.”
So in what way did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself here?
Learning in non-league
Scott’s football journey has been far from a conventional one.
He was part of four and a half years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, leaving school early each Friday to fly from his island home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could train and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before he turned 13, though, they released him. Bournemouth were willing to offer Scott an opportunity and he remained with them for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he chose to stay on the island and turn out for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over weekly was starting to feel a bit too much,” he explained.
“I just wanted to relax at home with my mates at the weekend because I had missed nearly several years of that experience. Getting that slice of childhood back was a thing I really required.
“Building some confidence by coming back and taking part in local football was massive for me. That proved to be perhaps one of the most important factors that got me to this point.”
At the age of 16, Scott became the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a second-half substitute in their Isthmian League fixture at the opposition.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could include him in the team because he’s that good,” manager Tony Vance commented back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Championship side the Robins – chaired by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking his development after an promising beginning in men’s football and gave him a trial in December 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” said the player. “The first day I joined the youth team, the second day I trained with the senior squad, which was a total surprise.
“On the Wednesday I featured for Guernsey FC in London, returned home and by Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to sign a deal.”
Within a year and a half, even well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut against Luton.
Scott made eighty-three league appearances for the club while in his teens, frequently being deployed as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – demonstrating his versatility and flexibility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was their best player.
Thanks to his skill to drive the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and England playmaker Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he won the second tier’s young player of the season award, was selected in the division’s team of the year and was voted Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I believe he will represent his country and I think he’ll go on to the top of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s manager at the club, remarked last year.
Within 90 days after, he joined the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of £25m.
Getting his big move
The midfielder endured a challenging first season with the club, having to wait until the autumn to make his top-flight debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then being inconsistent of the team.
His second campaign was equally disrupted, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for almost several months.
“I had a decent run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained he.
“That felt like yet another obstacle and the year was turning out to be quite a terrible year for the first half.”
But he was then called up by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in regain fitness for the tournament.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they claimed victory in the tournament in the host nation, developing a formidable understanding in the middle with his teammate, who in turn has gone on to impress for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun the current campaign just as impressively for Bournemouth, featuring in every game to guide them to the top five in the table.
“To play for the England senior team would be among the most special occasions of my career,” Scott stated recently.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, maintain my love for football, improving day on day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
