Back when Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut against Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his coach at the time predicted, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
This prediction turned out to be a bit of an understatement.
Today aged 22 and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his first summons to the full Three Lions team.
His rise from non-league prodigy to possible England player is a proper throwback, a story seldom told in the modern era.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was no chance of becoming a pro footballer, let alone playing in the top division and playing for the national team as well,” the player said in a recent interview.
“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for me and my family.”
But how did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up here?
Learning in non-league
His path in football has not been a typical one.
He was part of four and a half years in Southampton’s academy setup starting at eight, skipping school each Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could train and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Before he turned 13, however, they released him. Bournemouth were willing to offer Scott an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, as he later admitted, his mind was not in it.
Rather, he opted to stay on Guernsey and turn out for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and flying over weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he recalled.
“All I desired to chill at home with my mates at the weekend because I had missed nearly several years of doing that. To have that slice of childhood back was a thing I really required.
“To gain some confidence by coming back and taking part in local football was huge for me. That proved to be perhaps the most crucial factors that led me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, Scott became the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a 57th-minute replacement in their Isthmian League fixture 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 back then.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the way he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Second-tier club the Robins – chaired by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring Scott’s early progress after an promising start in adult football and gave him a trial in December 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” recalled Scott. “Day one I joined the youth team, the next day I was with the first team, which was a total surprise.
“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in London, travelled back and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to sign a deal.”
Within 18 months, still well before his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut against the Hatters.
Scott made 83 league appearances for the Robins while still a teenager, frequently being used as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his adaptability and flexibility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was their best player.
With his skill to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to City and national team attacking midfielder Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he won the second tier’s young player of the season honour, was selected in the league’s best XI and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“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 boss at the club, stated last year.
Less than 90 days after, he signed for Bournemouth for a understood transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his major transfer
Scott endured a challenging debut campaign with the Cherries, having to wait until October to make his top-flight debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then being in and out of the starting XI.
His following season was just as disrupted, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for almost several months.
“I had a decent run at the close of last season, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said Scott.
“That felt like almost another obstacle and the year was turning out to be quite a terrible year for the first half.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to get himself fit in time.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they claimed victory in the competition in the host nation, developing a formidable understanding in midfield with his teammate, who in turn has gone on to impress for the first team under the national coach.
And he has started this season just as impressively for his club, featuring in every game to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“Representing the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my career,” the player stated recently.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, improving day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
