When Alex Scott made his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager at the time assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
That prediction turned out to be a bit of an underestimation.
Today 22 years old and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the playmaker has earned his first summons to the senior England team.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to potential international star is a true blast from the past, a story seldom told in the modern game.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of making it as a professional football player, let alone playing in the top division and representing England too,” the player said previously.
“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have changed drastically for myself and my loved ones.”
So in what way did Alex Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up here?
Developing in non-league
His football journey has been far from a conventional one.
He spent four and a half years in Southampton’s youth system starting at eight, skipping school every Friday to travel by air from his home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could train and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before his 13th birthday, though, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth gave him an opportunity and he remained with them for a while, but, as he later admitted, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he opted to stay on Guernsey and turn out for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to chill at home with my friends at weekends because I missed nearly several years of that experience. To have that little bit of childhood back was something I definitely required.
“To gain some self-belief by returning and playing island football was massive for me. That proved to be perhaps the most crucial things that led me to this point.”
At the age of 16, Scott made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he came on as a second-half substitute in their league fixture at the opposition.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could include him in the team because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss the coach commented at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Championship side Bristol City – owned by islander Steve Lansdown – had been tracking his development after an impressive start in adult football and arranged a trial in late 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” said Scott. “Day one I trained with the under-18s, the next day I was with the first team, which was a total surprise.
“On the Wednesday I played for his local side in London, travelled back and on the Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a three goals. It was almost a done deal for me to sign a contract.”
Within 18 months, still well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut versus Luton.
He went on to make eighty-three league outings for the club while still a teenager, frequently being used as a wide defender – and occasionally in attack as a attacking midfielder – such was his versatility and flexibility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was their best player.
Thanks to his ability to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to City and national team attacking midfielder Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the second tier’s best young player award, was selected in the league’s team of the year and was voted Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I think he will represent his country and I’m sure he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the game,” his former manager, the player’s manager at Ashton Gate, stated previously.
Within three months after, he joined the Cherries for a understood transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his major transfer
The midfielder endured a difficult first season with the club, waiting until the autumn to earn his top-flight debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then being inconsistent of the team.
His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for almost four months.
“There was a decent run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” said he.
“That felt like yet another setback and it was turning out to be a pretty bad start for the first five months.”
But he was then selected 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 England U21s’ six games as they went on to win the competition in the host nation, forming a formidable understanding in midfield with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the first team with the national coach.
And he has started this season just as impressively for his club, featuring in all matches to guide them to fifth in the standings.
“Representing the England senior team would be among the most special occasions of my career,” the player stated recently.
“It’s down to me, I must keep progressing as a footballer, maintain my love for the game, getting better every day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
