Back when Alex Scott made his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
This statement turned out to be a bit of an understatement.
Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the midfielder has earned his maiden summons to the full England squad.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to potential international star is a proper throwback, a story seldom told in the modern game.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a pro footballer, let alone featuring in the Premier League and representing England as well,” the player stated previously.
“It has been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have changed drastically for myself and my family.”
So in what way did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself at this level?
Developing in the lower tiers
Scott’s football journey has not been a typical one.
He spent over four years in the Saints’ youth system starting at eight, skipping school every Friday to fly from his home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could attend training and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before he turned 13, though, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth gave Scott an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind was not in it.
Instead, he opted to stay on the island and play for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and traveling weekly was starting to feel a bit too much,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to chill at home with my mates at weekends because I missed almost four and a half years of that experience. To have that slice of childhood back was something I really needed.
“To gain some confidence by coming back and playing local football was massive for me. It was probably the most crucial factors that led me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, the teenager made history as the youngest player in the club’s records when he was introduced as a 57th-minute replacement in their league match at Phoenix Sports.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could get him in the side because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance stated at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the way 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 Scott’s early progress after an impressive start in adult football and arranged a trial in late 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” said Scott. “Day one I trained with the youth team, the second day I was with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.
“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in London, returned home 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 sign a contract.”
Within a year and a half, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut versus Luton.
Scott made 83 league appearances for the club while in his teens, frequently being deployed as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – such was his versatility and versatility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was their best player.
Thanks to his skill to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to City and national team playmaker Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he won the second tier’s young player of the season honour, was chosen in the division’s best XI and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I believe he will represent his country and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the game,” his former manager, the player’s manager at the club, stated last year.
Less than three months later, he signed for the Cherries for a understood fee of £25m.
Getting his big move
Scott 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 pre-season, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.
His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for nearly four months.
“I had a decent run at the end of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said Scott.
“It was almost another setback and the year was shaping up as quite a terrible start for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in regain fitness in time.
He started five of the England U21s’ six matches as they claimed victory in the competition in the host nation, developing a strong understanding in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has excelled for the senior side with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun this season just as impressively for his club, playing in all matches to help them to fifth in the standings.
“To play for the national team would be one of the proudest occasions of my career,” Scott stated recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a player, keep enjoying football, getting better day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the national coach and get my chance.”