When Alex Scott made his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his manager at the time predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
This statement turned out to be a bit of an understatement.
Today aged 22 and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the playmaker has earned his first summons to the senior England team.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to possible international star is a true blast from the past, a journey seldom told in the modern era.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was no chance of becoming a professional football player, never mind playing in the top division and representing the national team as well,” the player stated previously.
“It has been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have changed completely for me and my loved ones.”
So how did Alex Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself at this level?
Developing in the lower tiers
His football journey has been far from a conventional one.
He was part of four and a half years in Southampton’s youth system starting at eight, leaving school early each Friday to travel by air from his home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could train and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to he turned 13, 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 opted to remain on the island and play for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he explained.
“I just wanted to relax at my home with my mates at weekends because I missed nearly several years of doing that. To have that little bit of youth back was a thing I really required.
“To gain a bit of self-belief by coming back and taking part in local football was massive for me. It was perhaps one of the most important factors that led me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, Scott became the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a 57th-minute substitute in their Isthmian League match at Phoenix Sports.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the team because he’s that good,” manager the coach commented back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the way he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Second-tier club the Robins – chaired by islander their owner – had been monitoring his development after an promising beginning in men’s football and gave him a trial in late 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” recalled Scott. “The first day I trained with the youth team, the next day I trained with the senior squad, which was a total surprise.
“Midweek I played for Guernsey FC in London, returned home and by Friday, I played for the youth team and scored a three goals. From that point a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
In just a year and a half, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut versus the Hatters.
Scott went on to make eighty-three league outings for the Robins while still a teenager, frequently being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally in attack as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his versatility and flexibility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his skill to drive the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he won the EFL Championship’s young player of the season award, was chosen in the division’s best XI and was voted the club’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I believe he’ll play for England and I’m sure he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.
Within three months after, he joined Bournemouth for a understood fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his big move
Scott experienced a challenging first season 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 in and out of the starting XI.
His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for almost four months.
“I had quite a good run at the end 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 quite a terrible year for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by England for the U21 Euros – and managed to get himself fit for the tournament.
He started five of the England U21s’ six matches as they went on to win the competition in the host nation, developing a formidable understanding in midfield with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started this season just as strongly for his club, playing in all matches to help them to the top five in the table.
“To play for the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my life,” Scott said recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I must continue developing as a player, keep enjoying the game, getting better every day, and with luck I impress the national coach and get my chance.”
