Back when Alex Scott made his local team debut against Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 fans in 2019, his manager at the time predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
That statement proved to be a bit of an underestimation.
Now 22 years old and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his maiden call-up to the full England squad.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to potential England player is a proper blast from the past, a journey rarely told in the modern game.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was no chance of becoming a pro footballer, let alone playing in the Premier League and playing for the national team too,” the player said in a recent interview.
“It’s been a crazy five or six years of my life, and things have changed drastically for myself and my loved ones.”
So how did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up at this level?
Learning in the lower tiers
His path in football has not been a typical one.
He spent over four years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, leaving school early 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 his 13th birthday, though, 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 was not in it.
Rather, he opted to remain on the island and turn out for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and traveling every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.
“All I desired to relax at my home with my mates at weekends because I missed almost several years of doing that. Getting that little bit of childhood back was something I definitely required.
“Building a bit of self-belief by returning and taking part in local football was huge for me. That proved to be probably one of the most important factors that led me to this point.”
At the age of 16, Scott became the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he was introduced as a second-half replacement in their league fixture at the opposition.
“I had sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the team because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss the coach stated back then.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the way he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the professional game
Second-tier club Bristol City – owned by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking his early progress after an promising beginning in adult football and gave him a trial in late 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 shock.
“On the Wednesday I featured for Guernsey FC in the capital, travelled back and on the Friday, I played for the youth team and scored a three goals. From that point a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
In just a year and a half, even well before his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut against Luton.
Scott went on to make 83 league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, frequently being used as a wing-back – and sometimes further forward as a number 10 – such was his versatility and versatility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
With his ability to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and England playmaker Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the EFL Championship’s young player of the season award, was chosen in the league’s best XI and was voted the club’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I think he’ll play for England and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the game,” his former manager, the player’s boss at the club, remarked last year.
Within three months later, he joined the Cherries for a reported fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his major transfer
The midfielder experienced a difficult first season with the Cherries, waiting until October to earn his top-flight debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then finding himself inconsistent of the starting XI.
His following season was equally disrupted, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for nearly several months.
“I had quite a good run at the close of last season, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said he.
“That felt like almost another obstacle and it was turning out to be a pretty bad start for the first half.”
But he was then called up by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in regain fitness in time.
He started five of the England U21s’ six games as they went on to win the competition in Slovakia, developing a strong understanding in midfield with his teammate, who in turn has gone on to impress for the senior side with the national coach.
And he has started the current campaign equally as strongly for Bournemouth, featuring in all matches to guide them to fifth in the table.
“To play for the England senior team would be among the most special occasions of my life,” the player stated earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to continue developing as a player, keep enjoying football, improving day on day, and with luck I catch the eye of the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
