Back when Alex Scott made his local team debut against Phoenix Sports before just 55 fans in 2019, his coach at the time assured, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
This prediction proved to be something of an understatement.
Now 22 years old and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the playmaker has just received his maiden summons to the full England team.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to potential international star is a proper throwback, a journey seldom seen in the modern game.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of making it as a professional football player, never mind featuring in the Premier League and representing England as well,” the player said in a recent interview.
“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have changed completely for myself and my family.”
So in what way did Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up here?
Developing in the lower tiers
Scott’s path in football has been far from a typical one.
He was part of four and a half years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, skipping school each Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could train and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to he turned 13, though, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth gave Scott an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, as he later admitted, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he opted to remain on Guernsey and turn out for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he explained.
“All I desired to relax at my home with my mates at weekends because I missed nearly several years of that experience. To have that slice of childhood again was a thing I definitely needed.
“Building some confidence by returning and taking part in island football was huge for me. That proved to be perhaps the most crucial things that got me to this point.”
At the age of 16, the teenager became the youngest player in the club’s records when he was introduced as a 57th-minute replacement in their Isthmian League match at the opposition.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the team because he’s that good,” manager Tony Vance commented at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the way he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Second-tier club Bristol City – owned by islander their owner – had been tracking his early progress after an promising beginning in men’s football and arranged a try-out in late 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled the player. “Day one I trained with the under-18s, the next day I was with the senior squad, which was a total surprise.
“On the Wednesday I featured for his local side in the capital, travelled back and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a three goals. From that point a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
Within 18 months, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut against the Hatters.
He went on to make 83 league appearances for the club while still a teenager, often being used as a wide defender – and occasionally in attack as a number 10 – demonstrating his adaptability and flexibility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his ability to drive the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to City and England attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he claimed the second tier’s best young player award, was chosen in the division’s team of the year and was named Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I think he will represent England and I think he will progress to the top of the sport,” his former manager, the player’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.
Less than three months later, he joined Bournemouth for a reported fee of £25m.
Getting his big move
The midfielder experienced a difficult first season with the club, having to wait until October to earn his Premier League debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then being in and out of the team.
His following season was equally affected, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for nearly four months.
“There was quite a good run at the end of last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.
“It was 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 succeeded in get himself fit for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six matches as they went on to win the tournament in the host nation, developing a formidable partnership in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has excelled for the senior side under the national coach.
And he has begun the current campaign just as strongly for his club, featuring in every game to guide them to the top five in the table.
“Representing the national team would be among the most special moments of my career,” the player said recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to keep progressing as a player, 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.”
