Back when Alex Scott made his local team debut against Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his manager back then assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
That statement proved to be a bit of an understatement.
Today aged 22 and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the playmaker has earned his first summons to the full Three Lions squad.
His rise from non-league prodigy to possible England player is a proper throwback, a story seldom seen in the modern era.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of becoming a pro footballer, let alone featuring in the Premier League and playing for England as well,” the player said previously.
“It has been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and things have transformed completely for me and my family.”
But how did Alex Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up at this level?
Learning in the lower tiers
Scott’s football journey has not been a conventional one.
He spent over four years in the Saints’ youth system starting at eight, leaving school early every Friday to travel by air from his home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could attend training and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Before his 13th birthday, though, they released him. The Cherries gave him an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he chose to stay on Guernsey and turn out for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over every week was becoming a bit too much,” he explained.
“I just wanted to relax at my home with my mates at the weekend because I had missed almost four and a half years of that experience. To have that little bit of youth back was something I really required.
“Building a bit of confidence by coming back and taking part in local football was massive for me. That proved to be perhaps one of the most important things that got me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, Scott became the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a second-half replacement in their Isthmian League match at the opposition.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the team because he’s that good,” manager Tony Vance stated at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the manner he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Championship side the Robins – owned by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking his early progress after an promising start in men’s football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” recalled the player. “Day one I trained with the under-18s, the second day I was with the first team, which was a complete shock.
“On the Wednesday I played for his local side in London, travelled back and on the Friday, I took the field for the youth team and scored a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
Within 18 months, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut against Luton.
He went on to make 83 league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, frequently being deployed as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his adaptability and versatility. 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 down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to City and national team attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the EFL Championship’s young player of the season honour, was selected in the league’s best XI and was voted Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I believe he’ll play for England and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the sport,” his former manager, Scott’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.
Within three months after, he joined Bournemouth for a reported transfer fee of £25m.
Securing his big move
The midfielder endured a challenging debut campaign with the Cherries, having to wait until the autumn to make his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then being in and out of the team.
His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for nearly four months.
“I had a decent run at the close of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” said he.
“That felt like almost another obstacle and it was turning out to be quite a terrible start for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to regain fitness for the tournament.
He started five of the England U21s’ six games as they went on to win the tournament in the host nation, developing a formidable understanding in midfield with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the first team under the national coach.
And he has started this season equally as impressively 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 career,” Scott stated earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, improving every day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
