When Alex Scott made his local team debut against Phoenix Sports before just 55 fans in 2019, his manager at the time predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
That prediction turned out to be something of an underestimation.
Now 22 years old and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the midfielder has earned his maiden summons to the full Three Lions team.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to potential international star is a true blast from the past, a journey seldom told in the modern game.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of becoming a pro footballer, let alone featuring in the top division and playing for England as well,” Scott said in a recent interview.
“It has been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and things have changed drastically for myself and my family.”
But how did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up here?
Learning in the lower tiers
His path in football has not been a conventional one.
He was part of over four years in Southampton’s youth system starting at eight, skipping school every Friday to fly from his home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could train and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before he turned 13, however, they released him. The Cherries were willing to offer Scott an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he chose to stay on Guernsey and turn out for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling every week was becoming overwhelming,” he recalled.
“All I desired to chill at home with my mates at weekends because I missed nearly four and a half years of doing that. To have that slice of childhood back was a thing I really needed.
“Building a bit of confidence by returning and taking part in local football was massive for me. That proved to be probably the most crucial factors that got me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, the teenager made history as the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a 57th-minute replacement in their Isthmian League fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the team because his talent is obvious,” manager the coach commented back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the way he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Championship side the Robins – owned by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking his development after an impressive start in men’s football and arranged a trial in December 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” said Scott. “The first day I joined the youth team, the second day I trained with the first team, which was a total surprise.
“Midweek I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, travelled back and by Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a hat-trick. It was almost a certainty for me to sign a contract.”
Within a year and a half, even well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut against Luton.
Scott went on to make 83 league appearances for the club while still a teenager, frequently being deployed as a wing-back – and sometimes in attack as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his versatility and flexibility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
With his ability to drive the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and England attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the second tier’s best young player honour, was chosen in the league’s team of the year and was named Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I think he will represent his country and I think he’ll go on to the top of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated last year.
Less than three months after, he signed for Bournemouth for a understood fee of £25m.
Getting his major transfer
Scott endured a difficult first season with the club, having to wait until the autumn to earn his top-flight debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then finding himself inconsistent of the team.
His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for almost four months.
“There was a decent run at the close of last season, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said he.
“It was yet another setback and the year was shaping up as quite a terrible start for the first half.”
But he was then selected by England for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in get himself fit in time.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they went on to win the competition in the host nation, developing a strong understanding in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has excelled for the first team with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun this season equally as impressively for his club, featuring in all matches to help them to the top five in the table.
“Representing the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my life,” the player said earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, maintain my love for the game, improving every day, and hopefully I impress the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
