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 predicted, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
This prediction turned out to be something of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the midfielder has earned his maiden summons to the senior Three Lions team.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to potential England player is a true blast from the past, a story seldom seen in the modern game.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of becoming a professional football player, let alone featuring in the Premier League and playing for England as well,” the player stated previously.
“It’s been a crazy five or six years of my life, and circumstances have changed completely for me and my loved ones.”
But how did Alex Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself here?
Developing in non-league
His football journey has been far from a typical one.
He was part of over four years in the Saints’ youth system starting at eight, skipping school every Friday to fly from his home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could attend training and play for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth were willing to offer Scott an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, as he later admitted, his mind was not in it.
Rather, he opted to remain on Guernsey and play for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over every week was starting to feel a bit too much,” he recalled.
“All I desired to relax at home with my mates at weekends because I had missed almost four and a half years of doing that. Getting that little bit of childhood again was a thing I definitely needed.
“Building some self-belief by coming back and playing local football was massive for me. It was probably the most crucial factors that got me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, the teenager made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he was introduced as a second-half substitute in their league match at the opposition.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the team because he’s that good,” manager the coach stated at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the manner he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the professional game
Championship side Bristol City – chaired by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking Scott’s early progress after an impressive start in men’s football and gave him a trial in December 2019.
“It was hectic,” recalled the player. “Day one I trained with the under-18s, the next day I trained with the senior squad, which was a total surprise.
“Midweek I played for his local side in London, returned home and by Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a three goals. From that point a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
In just a year and a half, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut versus the Hatters.
He made 83 league outings for the Robins while still a teenager, frequently being used as a wing-back – and sometimes in attack as a number 10 – demonstrating his versatility and flexibility. Despite his youth 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 picked up the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he claimed the EFL Championship’s young player of the season award, was chosen in the league’s best XI and was voted the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I think he’ll play for England and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the game,” his former manager, Scott’s boss at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.
Within 90 days after, he signed for Bournemouth for a reported transfer fee of £25m.
Securing his big move
The midfielder endured a challenging first season with the club, waiting until October to earn his Premier League debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then finding himself inconsistent of the team.
His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for almost four months.
“I had a decent run at the close of last season, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said Scott.
“It was almost another setback and it was turning out to be quite a terrible start for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in get himself fit in time.
He started five of the England U21s’ six matches as they claimed victory in the competition in the host nation, developing a formidable partnership in the middle with his teammate, who in turn has gone on to impress for the first team with the national coach.
And he has begun the current campaign just as strongly for Bournemouth, featuring in every game to help them to fifth in the standings.
“To play for the national 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, improving every day, and with luck I impress the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
