When Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his coach at the time predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
That statement turned out to be a bit of an understatement.
Now 22 years old and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his maiden call-up to the senior England squad.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to potential international star is a true blast from the past, a story rarely seen in the modern era.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a professional football player, let alone playing in the Premier League and representing England too,” Scott said previously.
“It’s been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have changed drastically for myself and my loved ones.”
So how did Alex Scott, known fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself at this level?
Learning in non-league
His path in football has not been a conventional one.
He was part of four and a half years in the Saints’ youth system from the age of eight, leaving school early each Friday to fly from his island home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could attend training and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before he turned 13, though, they released him. Bournemouth were willing to offer him an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, as he later admitted, his heart was not in it.
Instead, he opted to stay on the island and turn out for his local team.
“My form had dipped and flying over every week was becoming a bit too much,” he explained.
“I just wanted to relax at my home with my mates at the weekend because I missed nearly four and a half years of doing that. Getting that slice of childhood back was something I really needed.
“To gain some self-belief by coming back and taking part in island football was huge for me. That proved to be perhaps one of the most important factors that led me to this point.”
When he was just 16, Scott made history as the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a 57th-minute replacement in their Isthmian League match at the opposition.
“I had 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 way he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Championship side Bristol City – owned by islander their owner – had been monitoring his early progress after an promising beginning in adult football and gave him a trial in December 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” said the player. “Day one I trained with the under-18s, the next day I trained with the senior squad, which was a total surprise.
“Midweek I featured for Guernsey FC in London, returned home and by Friday, I played for the youth team and scored a three goals. From that point a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
In just a year and a half, even well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut versus Luton.
He made 83 league appearances for the club while in his teens, frequently being used as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – 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 drive the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and national team attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he won the EFL Championship’s best young player 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 will represent England and I’m sure he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the sport,” his former manager, Scott’s boss at the club, stated last year.
Less than 90 days later, he signed for the Cherries for a reported fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his major transfer
Scott experienced a challenging debut campaign with the Cherries, having to wait until October to earn his Premier League debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then finding himself in and out of the starting XI.
His following season was just as affected, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for nearly several months.
“There was quite a good run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained he.
“It was almost another obstacle and it was turning out to be a pretty bad start for the first half.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the U21 Euros – and managed to get himself fit for the tournament.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six games as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, forming a strong partnership in the middle with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the first team under the national coach.
And he has begun this season just as impressively for Bournemouth, playing in every game to help them to fifth in the table.
“To play for the England senior team would be among the most special occasions of my career,” Scott said earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I must continue developing as a footballer, maintain my love for football, getting better day on day, and hopefully I impress the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
