Back when Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his manager at the time predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
This prediction proved to be a bit of an understatement.
Now 22 years old and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has just received his first summons to the full Three Lions team.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to possible England player is a true throwback, a journey rarely told in the modern game.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of making it as a pro footballer, let alone playing in the top division and playing for the national team as well,” Scott said in a recent interview.
“It has been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for myself and my family.”
But how did Alex Scott, known fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself here?
Developing in non-league
His path in football has been far from a typical one.
He spent over four years in the Saints’ academy setup from the age of eight, skipping school every Friday to fly from his home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could train and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. The Cherries were willing to offer him an opportunity and he remained with them for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he opted to remain on Guernsey and turn out for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over every week was starting to feel a bit too much,” he explained.
“All I desired to relax at home with my mates at weekends because I had missed nearly several years of doing that. Getting that slice of childhood back was something I definitely required.
“Building a bit of self-belief by coming back and taking part in local football was huge for me. That proved to be probably one of the most important things that led 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 replacement in their league match at the opposition.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could get him in the team because he’s that good,” manager the coach commented back then.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the manner he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Second-tier club Bristol City – owned by Guernsey resident their owner – had been monitoring Scott’s early progress after an impressive beginning in adult football and arranged a trial in December 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled the player. “The first day I trained with the youth team, the second day I was with the first team, which was a complete shock.
“Midweek I featured for Guernsey FC in the capital, travelled back and on the Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a hat-trick. From that point a certainty for me to sign a contract.”
In just a year and a half, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut versus Luton.
He made eighty-three league outings for the Robins while in his teens, often being deployed as a wide defender – and sometimes further forward as a number 10 – such was his versatility and versatility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
With his ability to carry the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he won the EFL Championship’s best young player award, was chosen in the league’s team of the year and was named the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I think he will represent his country and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the game,” his former manager, Scott’s boss at the club, remarked last year.
Less than 90 days after, he signed for the Cherries for a reported fee of £25m.
Securing his major transfer
Scott endured a challenging first season with the Cherries, having to wait until the autumn to earn his top-flight debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then finding himself in and out of the team.
His second campaign was equally disrupted, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for nearly four months.
“There was a decent run at the close of last season, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” said he.
“It was yet another obstacle and it was turning out to be quite a terrible start for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by England for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in regain fitness for the tournament.
He started five of the England U21s’ six matches as they went on to win the competition in the host nation, developing a strong partnership in the middle with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the senior side with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started this season just as impressively for Bournemouth, playing in all matches to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“Representing the national team would be among the most special moments of my life,” the player said recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying the game, getting better every day, and hopefully I impress the England manager and get my chance.”
