When Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager back then assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
This prediction turned out to be a bit of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the playmaker has just received his maiden summons to the senior Three Lions team.
His rise from non-league prodigy to possible international star is a true blast from the past, a story seldom told in the modern era.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a professional football player, never mind playing in the Premier League and playing for the national team too,” the player stated in a recent interview.
“It’s been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and things have transformed drastically 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 not been a conventional one.
He was part of four and a half years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, leaving school early each Friday to travel by air from his home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could train and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. The Cherries were willing to offer him an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, as he later admitted, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he opted to remain on Guernsey and play for his local team.
“My form had dipped and traveling every week was starting to feel a bit too much,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to chill at home with my mates at the weekend because I missed nearly several years of doing that. To have that slice of childhood again was a thing I really needed.
“Building some self-belief by returning and playing island football was huge for me. It was probably the most crucial factors that led me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, the teenager made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he was introduced as a 57th-minute substitute in their Isthmian League fixture at the opposition.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could get him in the team because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss the coach stated at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the way he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the professional game
Second-tier club the Robins – chaired by islander their owner – had been tracking his development after an promising beginning in men’s football and arranged a try-out in late 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” said the player. “The first day I trained with the youth team, the second day I trained with the senior squad, which was a total shock.
“Midweek I played for his local side in London, travelled back and on the Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
Within a year and a half, still well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut versus the Hatters.
He went on to make 83 league outings for the Robins while in his teens, frequently being used as a wide defender – and sometimes in attack as a number 10 – such was his versatility and versatility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
With his skill to carry the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to City and national team playmaker Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he claimed the EFL Championship’s best young player award, was chosen in the league’s best XI and was named Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I think he’ll play for his country and I think he will progress to the top of the sport,” his former manager, the player’s manager at Ashton Gate, stated previously.
Within 90 days after, he signed for Bournemouth for a reported fee of £25m.
Securing his big move
Scott experienced a challenging debut campaign with the club, waiting until the autumn to make his Premier League debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then being inconsistent of the team.
His following season was just as disrupted, 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 nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.
“It was almost another setback and the year was turning out to be a pretty bad year for the first half.”
But he was then selected by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in regain fitness in time.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six games as they claimed victory in the competition in Slovakia, developing a strong understanding in midfield with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the senior side under the national coach.
And he has started this season equally as impressively for his club, featuring in all matches to help them to fifth in the standings.
“To play for the national team would be one of the proudest moments of my life,” the player stated recently.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for the game, getting better every day, and with luck I impress the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
