When Alex Scott made his local team debut against Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
That statement proved to be a bit of an understatement.
Today 22 years old and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his maiden call-up to the full Three Lions squad.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to potential England player is a true blast from the past, a journey seldom seen in the modern game.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of making it as a professional football player, never mind featuring in the Premier League and representing England as well,” Scott said previously.
“It’s been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have changed completely for myself and my family.”
So how did Alex Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself at this level?
Developing in non-league
Scott’s football journey has been far from a typical one.
He spent four and a half years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, leaving school early every Friday to fly from his island home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could train and play for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to he turned 13, though, they released him. The Cherries were willing to offer him an opportunity and he remained with them for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind was not in it.
Rather, he opted to remain on the island and play for his local team.
“My form had dipped and flying over every week was starting to feel a bit too much,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to relax at my home with my friends at the weekend because I missed nearly several years of that experience. Getting that slice of childhood 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 probably one of the most important things that led me to this point.”
When he was just 16, the teenager made history as the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a 57th-minute substitute in their Isthmian League match at Phoenix Sports.
“I had sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could get him in the side because his talent is obvious,” manager Tony Vance commented at the time.
“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 professional game
Championship side the Robins – owned by islander their owner – had been tracking his early progress after an promising beginning in adult football and gave him a trial in late 2019.
“It was hectic,” recalled the player. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the second day I trained with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.
“Midweek I featured for his local side in London, returned home and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a hat-trick. It was almost a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
In just 18 months, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut against the Hatters.
He made eighty-three league appearances for the club while in his teens, often being used as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his adaptability and flexibility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was their best player.
With his ability to carry the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to City and national team playmaker Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he won the EFL Championship’s best young player award, was selected in the league’s team of the year 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 pinnacle of the sport,” his former manager, Scott’s boss at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.
Within three months later, he joined the Cherries for a understood transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his major transfer
The midfielder experienced a difficult first season with the Cherries, waiting until the autumn to earn his top-flight debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.
His following season 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 last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained he.
“It was yet another setback and the year was shaping up as quite a terrible year for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to get himself fit in time.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six games as they claimed victory in the tournament in the host nation, developing a strong partnership in midfield with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started this season just as strongly for Bournemouth, featuring in all matches to help them to the top five in the table.
“Representing the England senior team would be one of the proudest occasions of my life,” Scott stated recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying the game, getting better day on day, and hopefully I impress the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
