Back when Alex Scott made his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 spectators in 2019, his coach back then assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
That statement turned out to be something of an understatement.
Now 22 years old and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has just received his maiden call-up to the full Three Lions squad.
His rise from non-league prodigy to possible England player is a true throwback, a story rarely seen in the modern era.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a pro footballer, never mind featuring in the top division and representing the national team too,” the player said previously.
“It has been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have changed drastically for me and my loved ones.”
So how did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up here?
Developing in the lower tiers
Scott’s path in football has not been a conventional one.
He spent over four years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, leaving school early each Friday to fly from his island home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could attend training and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Before he turned 13, however, they released him. The Cherries were willing to offer him an option and he remained with them for a time, but, as he later admitted, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he chose to stay on Guernsey and play for his local team.
“My form had dipped and flying over every week was becoming overwhelming,” he explained.
“All I desired to chill at my home with my mates at the weekend because I had missed nearly four and a half years of doing that. Getting that little bit of youth again was a thing I definitely required.
“Building a bit of self-belief by returning and playing local football was massive for me. It was probably the most crucial things that led me to this point.”
At the age of 16, the teenager became the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a 57th-minute substitute in their Isthmian League fixture at the opposition.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the team because he’s that good,” manager the coach stated back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the manner he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the professional game
Second-tier club the Robins – chaired by Guernsey resident their owner – had been monitoring Scott’s early progress after an promising start in adult football and arranged a try-out in late 2019.
“It was chaos,” recalled Scott. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the next day I was with the senior squad, which was a complete shock.
“On the Wednesday I played for his local side in London, travelled back and on the Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a three goals. It was almost a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
Within a year and a half, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut against Luton.
Scott made 83 league outings for the Robins while still a teenager, frequently being deployed as a wing-back – and occasionally in attack as a number 10 – demonstrating his versatility and versatility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was their best player.
Thanks to 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 national team attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he won the EFL Championship’s best young player honour, was chosen in the league’s best XI and was voted the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I believe he will represent his country and I think he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.
Less than three months after, he signed for Bournemouth for a understood fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his big move
The midfielder endured a challenging debut campaign with the Cherries, waiting until October to earn his Premier League debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then finding himself inconsistent of the starting XI.
His following season was just as affected, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for almost several months.
“I had quite a good run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” said Scott.
“That felt like yet another obstacle and the year was turning out to be quite a terrible start 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 in time.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they went on to win the competition in the host nation, developing a strong partnership in the middle with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the first team under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started this season equally as strongly for his club, featuring in all matches to help them to fifth in the standings.
“Representing the England senior team would be among the most special moments of my career,” the player said recently.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to continue developing as a player, maintain my love for the game, getting better day on day, and with luck I impress the England manager and get my chance.”
