Since he was 8 years old, Alex Scott would leave school early on Fridays and go to soccer practice with one of his parents.
It was no ordinary journey.
It involved flying from Guernsey, one of the Channel Islands near the coast of northern France, to mainland England, where the Scot went to train with Southampton’s (then Premier League club) academy and later Bournemouth’s academy.
More than a decade later, all that time and effort has paid off.
Scott looked back fondly on Tuesday at the unusual start to his football career after first joining England’s first team seven months before the World Cup in America, Canada and Mexico.
“Our parents gave us a lot of money and dedication to support our dream of being a footballer,” he said, with a nod to his sister-in-law, current England women’s international Maya Le Tissier.
“That’s a credit to them. We’re just happy that we’re both paying top-tier salaries now.”
Things never got easy for Scott.
He was released by Southampton at the age of 12 and after a short spell at Bournemouth decided to play local football in Guernsey in hopes of having a more normal childhood.
He eventually moved to England, signing for lower-league side Bristol City. However, shortly after joining Bournemouth in 2023, he suffered an injury that limited his playing time in the Premier League. Most recently, in May, he suffered a broken jaw and missed the start of the European Under-21 Championship, although he ultimately won the tournament with England.
Boosted by Bournemouth’s strong start to the season, he has stepped up to the plate to attract the attention of England manager Thomas Tuchel.
“Six years ago I was playing non-league football for Guernsey (a team in England’s eighth division) and I wasn’t even sure I could make it as a footballer, so to be now in an England team is a dream come true,” Scott said.
He earned the nickname ‘Guernsey Grealish’ because of the way he looks with the ball at his feet and his socks rolling low, resembling that of winger Jack Grealish, who is currently on loan at Everton from Manchester City.
If he is able to break into the England squad, he could potentially play alongside Elliott Anderson, who was his midfield partner in the Under-21s and has also been promoted to the first team.
England will face Serbia and Albania in next year’s World Cup qualifiers and have already qualified for next year’s tournament.
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AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
