Back when Alex Scott made his local team debut against Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then assured, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
That statement proved to be something of an understatement.
Now 22 years old and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has just received his first summons to the senior England squad.
His rise from non-league prodigy to potential international star is a true blast from the past, a story rarely told in the modern game.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was no chance of becoming a professional football player, never mind playing in the Premier League and playing for England as well,” the player said previously.
“It has been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have transformed completely for me and my loved ones.”
So in what way did Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself at this level?
Learning in the lower tiers
His football journey has not been a conventional one.
He was part of four and a half years in the Saints’ academy setup from the age of eight, skipping school every Friday to travel by air from his 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, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth were willing to offer Scott an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart was not in it.
Instead, he opted to remain on Guernsey and play for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling weekly was becoming a bit too much,” he recalled.
“All I desired to relax at home with my mates at the weekend because I had missed nearly several years of that experience. To have that slice of childhood back was something I really needed.
“Building some self-belief by coming back and taking part in island football was huge for me. It was perhaps one of the most important things that led me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, Scott made history as the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a second-half substitute in their Isthmian League match at the opposition.
“I had sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the team because his talent is obvious,” manager the coach commented at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the manner he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Championship side Bristol City – owned by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking his early progress after an promising start in adult football and arranged a try-out in late 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” said the player. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the next day I trained with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.
“On the Wednesday I played for his local side in London, travelled back and on the Friday, I played for the youth team and netted a hat-trick. From that point a certainty for me to sign a deal.”
Within a year and a half, still well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut versus Luton.
He went on to make eighty-three league appearances for the club while in his teens, frequently being used as a wing-back – and occasionally in attack as a number 10 – such was his versatility and flexibility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
With his ability to drive the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to City and national team attacking midfielder Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the EFL Championship’s best young player award, was chosen 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’ll play for England and I’m sure he’ll go on to the top of the sport,” his former manager, Scott’s manager at Ashton Gate, stated last year.
Within three months after, he signed for the Cherries for a understood transfer fee of £25m.
Securing his major transfer
The midfielder endured a difficult first season with the club, having to wait 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 just as affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him 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 he.
“It was yet another obstacle and the year was turning out to be a pretty bad year for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to regain fitness for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six matches as they claimed victory in the tournament in the host nation, forming a formidable partnership in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who himself has gone on to impress for the senior side with the national coach.
And he has begun the current campaign just as impressively for his club, featuring in every game to guide them to the top five in the table.
“Representing the national team would be among the most special moments of my career,” the player said recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for football, improving every day, and with luck I catch the eye of the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
