Back when Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut against Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 fans in 2019, his manager back then predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
That prediction turned out to be a bit of an underestimation.
Now 22 years old and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the playmaker has just received his first call-up to the senior England team.
His rise from non-league prodigy to potential international star is a proper blast from the past, a story seldom seen in the modern era.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was no chance of making it as a pro footballer, let alone featuring in the Premier League and representing 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 changed drastically for myself and my loved ones.”
But in what way did Alex Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up here?
Learning in the lower tiers
Scott’s football journey has been far from a typical one.
He spent four and a half years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, skipping school each Friday to travel by air from his home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could train and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they released him. The Cherries were willing to offer Scott an option and he remained with them for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he chose to remain on the island and turn out for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to relax at home with my mates at the weekend because I had missed nearly several years of that experience. Getting that slice of youth back was something I really required.
“Building some self-belief by returning and taking part in island football was huge for me. It was probably one of the most important things that got me to this point.”
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 league match at the opposition.
“I had sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could include him in the side because his talent is obvious,” manager the coach stated back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the way he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Championship side the Robins – owned by islander their owner – had been tracking Scott’s early progress after an impressive beginning in men’s football and arranged a trial in late 2019.
“It was hectic,” said Scott. “The first day I joined the under-18s, the second day I was with the senior squad, which was a complete shock.
“On the Wednesday I featured for Guernsey FC in the capital, travelled back and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and scored a three goals. From that point a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
Within 18 months, still well before his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut against the Hatters.
He made eighty-three league appearances for the Robins while still a teenager, frequently being used as a wing-back – 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 the standout performer.
With his skill to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and England playmaker Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he claimed the second tier’s young player of the season award, was selected in the league’s best XI and was named the club’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I believe he will represent his country and I’m sure he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at the club, remarked previously.
Within three months later, he joined Bournemouth for a understood transfer fee of £25m.
Getting his major transfer
The midfielder endured a challenging debut campaign with the Cherries, having to wait until October to make his Premier League debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then finding himself inconsistent of the starting XI.
His second campaign was just as disrupted, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for nearly several months.
“There was quite a good run at the end of last season, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” said Scott.
“That felt like almost another setback and the year was shaping up as quite a terrible start for the first five months.”
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, forming a formidable understanding in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has gone on to impress for the first team under the national coach.
And he has begun this season just as strongly for Bournemouth, featuring in all matches to guide them to fifth in the standings.
“To play for the England senior team would be among the most special moments of my life,” the player said earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a footballer, maintain my love for the game, getting better day on day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
