Back when Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
This statement proved to be a bit of an understatement.
Today 22 years old and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has earned his first call-up to the senior Three Lions team.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to potential international star is a true blast from the past, a journey seldom seen in the modern game.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of making it as a professional football player, never mind featuring in the top division and representing the national team too,” Scott stated previously.
“It has been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for me and my family.”
But in what way did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself here?
Learning in non-league
Scott’s path in football has been far from a conventional one.
He was part of over four years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, skipping school every Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could train and play for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to he turned 13, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth were willing to offer Scott an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he chose to stay on Guernsey and turn out for his local team.
“My form had dipped and traveling weekly was becoming a bit too much,” he explained.
“All I desired to chill at my home with my mates at the weekend because I missed nearly several years of doing that. Getting that little bit of youth back was a thing I definitely required.
“To gain some self-belief by returning and playing local football was massive for me. It was perhaps the most crucial things that led me to this point.”
When he was just 16, the teenager became the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he was introduced as a second-half substitute in their Isthmian League fixture at the opposition.
“I had sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could include him in the team because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss the coach stated back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the manner he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Second-tier club Bristol City – chaired by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking Scott’s early progress after an promising start in men’s football and arranged a trial in late 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” said Scott. “Day one I joined the youth team, the second day I trained with the first team, which was a total surprise.
“Midweek I featured for his local side in the capital, travelled back and on the Friday, I played for the youth team and netted a three goals. From that point a done deal for me to sign a contract.”
Within 18 months, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut versus Luton.
Scott went on to make 83 league outings for the club while in his teens, often being deployed as a wing-back – and sometimes further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his versatility and flexibility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his skill to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he won the second tier’s best young player award, was chosen in the league’s best XI and was voted Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I think he will represent his country and I think he will progress to the pinnacle of the sport,” his former manager, Scott’s manager at the club, stated previously.
Within three months later, he joined Bournemouth for a reported fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his major transfer
The midfielder endured a challenging debut campaign with the Cherries, having to wait until October to earn his top-flight 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 surgery which ruled him out for almost several months.
“I had a decent run at the end of last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained he.
“That felt like almost another setback and it was turning out to be a pretty bad start for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to get himself fit for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six games as they claimed victory in the competition in Slovakia, developing a strong partnership in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who himself has excelled for the first team with the national coach.
And he has started the current campaign equally as impressively for his club, playing in every game to help them to fifth in the standings.
“Representing the national team would be among the most special moments of my career,” Scott stated recently.
“It’s down to me, I must keep progressing as a footballer, maintain my love for the game, improving day on day, and hopefully I impress the national coach and get my chance.”
