Back when Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his coach at the time predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
This prediction turned out to be something of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the midfielder has earned his first call-up to the senior 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.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of becoming a professional football player, let alone featuring in the top division and representing the national team too,” the player stated in a recent interview.
“It has been a crazy five or six years of my life, and circumstances have changed completely for myself and my loved ones.”
But how did Alex Scott, known fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up here?
Learning in non-league
His football journey has been far from a typical one.
He spent over four years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, skipping school every Friday to fly from his island home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could train and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to his 13th birthday, though, they released him. The Cherries were willing to offer 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.
Rather, he opted to remain on the island and play for his local team.
“My form had dipped and flying over every week was becoming a bit too much,” he explained.
“All I desired to chill at home with my mates at the weekend because I missed almost four and a half years of doing that. To have that little bit of childhood again was a thing I definitely required.
“To gain a bit of self-belief by returning and taking part in local football was massive for me. It was perhaps one of the most important factors that got me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, the teenager became the youngest player in the club’s records when he was introduced as a 57th-minute substitute in their league match at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was figuring 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 exceptional, the manner he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Championship side the Robins – owned by Guernsey resident their owner – had been monitoring Scott’s development after an impressive start in adult football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.
“It was hectic,” said the player. “Day one I trained with the under-18s, the second day I trained with the senior squad, which was a complete shock.
“On the Wednesday I featured for his local side in London, returned home and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a three goals. From that point a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
In just a year and a half, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut versus Luton.
Scott made 83 league appearances for the Robins while still a teenager, frequently being deployed as a wing-back – and sometimes further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his adaptability and flexibility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
With his ability to drive the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the second tier’s young player of the season award, was selected in the division’s team of the year and was named the club’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I think he’ll play for England and I’m sure he will progress to the pinnacle of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at the club, stated previously.
Less than 90 days after, he signed for the Cherries for a understood transfer fee of £25m.
Securing his big move
The midfielder experienced 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 starting XI.
His second campaign was just as affected, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for nearly four months.
“There was quite a good run at the close of last season, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained he.
“That felt like yet another setback and it was shaping up as 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 get himself fit for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six games as they claimed victory in the tournament in Slovakia, forming a formidable partnership in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has excelled for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started this season just as strongly for his club, featuring in every game to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“Representing the national team would be among the most special moments of my career,” Scott said earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a player, keep enjoying the game, getting better day on day, and hopefully I impress the national coach and get my chance.”
