Back when Alex Scott made his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his coach back then assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
This statement turned out to be something of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the midfielder has just received his first call-up to the full England team.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to potential international star is a proper blast from the past, a story seldom seen in the modern game.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was no chance of making it as a professional football player, let alone playing in the top division and playing for England as well,” the player said previously.
“It’s been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for myself and my family.”
But how did Alex Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself at this level?
Learning in the lower tiers
Scott’s path in football has not been a typical one.
He was part of over four years in the Saints’ youth system from the age of eight, leaving school early each Friday to fly from his island home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could attend training and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Before his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth gave him an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, as he later admitted, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he opted to stay on the island and turn out for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he recalled.
“All I desired to relax at home with my mates at the weekend because I missed almost several years of that experience. To have that little bit of youth back was a thing I really required.
“Building a bit of confidence by returning and playing island football was huge for me. It was perhaps one of the most important factors that got me to this point.”
When he was just 16, Scott made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a second-half replacement in their league fixture at the opposition.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the side because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss the coach commented back then.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the way he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Second-tier club the Robins – owned by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking his early progress after an promising beginning in men’s football and arranged a trial in late 2019.
“It was chaos,” said the player. “Day one I trained with the youth team, the next day I was with the first team, which was a complete surprise.
“On the Wednesday I featured for Guernsey FC in London, travelled back and on the Friday, I played for the youth team and netted a three goals. It was almost a done deal for me to sign 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.
Scott made eighty-three league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, often being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally in attack as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his versatility and versatility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his skill to drive the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to City and England attacking midfielder Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the second tier’s best young player award, was chosen in the division’s team of the year and was named the club’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I believe he’ll play for England and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the game,” his former manager, the player’s manager at Ashton Gate, stated last year.
Less than three months after, he joined Bournemouth for a reported transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his major transfer
Scott experienced a difficult first season with the Cherries, waiting until the autumn to make his Premier League debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.
His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for nearly several months.
“There was a decent run at the close of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said Scott.
“It was almost another setback and the year was turning out to be quite a terrible year for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to get himself fit for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six games as they went on to win the competition in Slovakia, developing a formidable partnership in the middle with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started the current campaign just as impressively for his club, featuring in all matches to help them to fifth in the standings.
“Representing the national team would be one of the proudest occasions of my career,” the player said earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I must continue developing as a footballer, maintain my love for football, getting better every day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”
