When Alex Scott made his local team debut against Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 fans in 2019, his coach at the time predicted, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
That prediction turned out to be a bit of an underestimation.
Today aged 22 and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the midfielder has earned his maiden call-up to the full Three Lions team.
His rise from non-league prodigy to potential international star is a true blast from the past, a journey seldom seen in the modern game.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“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 said previously.
“It has been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have transformed completely for myself and my loved ones.”
So how did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself at this level?
Developing in non-league
His football journey has been far from a typical one.
He spent over four years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, skipping school each Friday to travel by air from his island home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could attend training and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to he turned 13, though, they decided to let him go. The Cherries were willing to offer Scott an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, as he later admitted, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he opted to remain on Guernsey and turn out for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and flying over every week was starting to feel a bit too much,” he explained.
“All I desired to relax at home with my mates at weekends because I had missed almost four and a half years of that experience. Getting that slice of childhood back was a thing I definitely required.
“To gain some self-belief by returning and taking part in local football was huge for me. It was perhaps one of the most important factors that got me to this point.”
At the age of 16, the teenager made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he came on as a second-half substitute in their Isthmian League fixture at the opposition.
“I had sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could include him in the team because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss the coach commented at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the manner he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the professional game
Championship side the Robins – chaired by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring his development after an promising beginning in men’s football and arranged a trial in December 2019.
“It was hectic,” said Scott. “The first day I joined the under-18s, the second day I was with the first team, which was a total surprise.
“On the Wednesday I played for his local side in London, returned home and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a hat-trick. It was almost a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
In just 18 months, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut versus Luton.
Scott went on to make 83 league appearances for the club while in his teens, often being used as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – such was his adaptability and flexibility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
With his ability to carry the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team playmaker Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he won the second tier’s best young player award, was chosen in the division’s best XI and was named the club’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I believe he will represent his country and I’m sure he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked last year.
Less than three months after, he signed for the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of £25m.
Securing his big move
The midfielder endured a difficult 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 being in and out of the team.
His following season was equally disrupted, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for nearly four months.
“There was a decent run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained Scott.
“That felt like almost another setback and the year was shaping up as a pretty bad start for the first half.”
But he was then selected by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to regain fitness for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they went on to win the tournament in the host nation, forming a formidable partnership in midfield with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun this season equally as impressively for Bournemouth, playing in all matches to help them to the top five in the table.
“To play for the national team would be among the most special occasions of my life,” the player stated recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for football, getting better day on day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
