Back when Alex Scott made his local team debut against Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 spectators in 2019, his manager back then assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
That statement turned out to be something of an understatement.
Today 22 years old and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the midfielder has earned his maiden call-up to the full Three Lions squad.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to potential international star is a proper throwback, a story rarely told in the modern era.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was no chance of becoming a professional football player, never mind playing in the Premier League and representing the national team too,” the player stated in a recent interview.
“It’s been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and things have changed completely for myself and my family.”
But in what way did Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself at this level?
Learning in the lower tiers
Scott’s football journey has not been a typical one.
He spent four and a half years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, skipping school every Friday to travel by air from his island home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could train and play for the club’s academy sides.
Before he turned 13, though, they decided to let him go. 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 remain on Guernsey and play for his local team.
“My form had dipped and flying over every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he explained.
“All I desired to chill at my home with my mates at the weekend because I had missed nearly several years of that experience. Getting that little bit of youth back was a thing I definitely required.
“To gain a bit of self-belief by coming back and playing island football was huge for me. It was probably one of the most important factors that got me to this point.”
At the age of 16, Scott made history as the youngest player in Guernsey’s history 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 Tony Vance stated at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Championship side the Robins – chaired by islander their owner – had been monitoring Scott’s early progress after an promising beginning in adult football and gave him a trial in late 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled the player. “Day one I joined the youth team, the second day I trained with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.
“On the Wednesday I played for his local side in the capital, travelled back and by Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
In just a year and a half, still well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut against the Hatters.
He made 83 league appearances for the club while still a teenager, frequently being deployed as a wide defender – and sometimes further forward as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his adaptability and flexibility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was their best player.
With his skill to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and national team playmaker Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the second tier’s young player of the season award, was chosen in the division’s team of the year and was voted the club’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I think he will represent his country and I think he will progress to the top of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at the club, remarked last year.
Less than three months later, he joined the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of £25m.
Securing his major transfer
The midfielder experienced a challenging first season with the club, having to wait until the autumn to earn his Premier League debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then finding himself inconsistent of the team.
His following season was just as affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for nearly four months.
“I had quite a good run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said he.
“It was almost another setback and it was turning out to be a pretty bad year for the first half.”
But he was then selected by England for the U21 Euros – and managed to get himself fit in time.
He started five of the England U21s’ six games as they claimed victory in the competition in Slovakia, developing a strong understanding in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who himself has gone on to impress for the first team with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started this season just as impressively for his club, playing in every game to help them to the top five in the standings.
“To play for the England senior team would be one of the proudest occasions of my career,” Scott stated earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, maintain my love for the game, getting better every day, and with luck I catch the eye of the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
