Back when Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 fans in 2019, his coach at the time assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
This prediction turned out to be something of an underestimation.
Now 22 years old and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his maiden call-up to the full Three Lions team.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to possible England player is a true blast from the past, a story seldom seen in the modern era.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of making it as a professional football player, never mind playing in the Premier League and representing England too,” the player said in a recent interview.
“It’s been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have transformed drastically for me and my loved ones.”
But how did Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself here?
Developing in non-league
Scott’s path in football has not been a conventional one.
He was part of four and a half years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, leaving school early each Friday to fly from his island home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could train and play for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to his 13th birthday, though, they decided to let him go. The Cherries gave Scott an option and he remained with them for a time, but, as he later admitted, his heart was not in it.
Instead, he opted to remain on the island and turn out for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to chill at my home with my friends at weekends because I had missed almost several years of doing that. To have that slice of youth back was something I really required.
“To gain a bit of confidence by returning and taking part in island football was massive for me. It was perhaps one of the most important factors that led me to this point.”
At the age of 16, Scott became the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he came on as a 57th-minute substitute in their league match at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the side because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss the coach commented at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the way he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Championship side the Robins – chaired by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring his development after an promising beginning in adult football and gave him a trial in December 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled Scott. “Day one I joined the youth team, the next day I was with the senior squad, which was a complete shock.
“Midweek I featured for Guernsey FC in the capital, returned home and on the Friday, I took the field for the youth team and scored a three goals. From that point a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
Within 18 months, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut against Luton.
Scott made eighty-three league appearances for the club while still a teenager, often being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his versatility and flexibility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
With his ability to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and England attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he won the EFL Championship’s young player of the season honour, was chosen in the league’s best XI and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I believe he will represent his country and I’m sure he’ll go on to the top of the game,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated last year.
Within 90 days later, he joined the Cherries for a understood transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his major transfer
The midfielder endured a difficult first season with the Cherries, having to wait until October to make his top-flight debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.
His second campaign was equally disrupted, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for almost four months.
“I had a decent run at the end of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.
“That felt like yet another obstacle and the year was turning out to be a pretty bad year for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to get himself fit for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they claimed victory in the tournament in Slovakia, forming a formidable understanding in the middle with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the senior side with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun this season equally as strongly for his club, featuring in all matches to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“Representing the national team would be among the most special occasions of my life,” Scott stated earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, getting better every day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the national coach and get my chance.”
