Back when Alex Scott made 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 boy.”
This prediction proved to be a bit of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the playmaker has just received his first call-up to the full England team.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to potential international star is a true throwback, a journey seldom seen in the modern game.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of becoming a pro footballer, let alone featuring in the Premier League and representing the national team as well,” the player stated in a recent interview.
“It’s been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have changed completely for myself and my loved ones.”
But how did Alex Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself here?
Learning in non-league
His football journey has not been a typical one.
He was part of four and a half years in the Saints’ youth system starting at eight, skipping school each Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could attend training and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before he turned 13, though, they released him. The Cherries gave Scott an opportunity and he remained with them for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he opted to stay on Guernsey and play for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling weekly was starting to feel a bit too much,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to chill at home with my mates at the weekend because I had missed nearly several years of that experience. Getting that little bit of youth back was a thing I really needed.
“Building a bit of self-belief by returning and playing island football was massive for me. It was probably one of the most important factors that got me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, the teenager made history as the youngest player in the club’s records when he was introduced as a 57th-minute replacement in their Isthmian League match at the opposition.
“I had sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could get him in the side because his talent is obvious,” manager the coach stated back then.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the way he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Championship side Bristol City – chaired by islander Steve Lansdown – had been tracking his development after an promising start in men’s football and gave him a trial in December 2019.
“It was hectic,” recalled the player. “Day one I trained with the youth team, the next day I was with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.
“Midweek I featured for Guernsey FC in the capital, returned home and on the Friday, I played for the youth team and scored a hat-trick. It was almost a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
Within a year and a half, still well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut against the Hatters.
He made 83 league outings for the club while still a teenager, often being used as a wing-back – and sometimes further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his adaptability and versatility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was their best player.
Thanks to his ability to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and England attacking midfielder Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he won the second tier’s best young player honour, was selected in the league’s team of the year and was named the club’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I believe he’ll play for his country and I’m sure he’ll go on to the top of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s manager at Ashton Gate, stated previously.
Within three months after, he joined Bournemouth for a reported fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his major transfer
Scott experienced a difficult first season with the Cherries, waiting until October to make his top-flight debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then finding himself inconsistent of the team.
His following season was just as disrupted, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for almost several months.
“There was a decent run at the close of last season, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained Scott.
“That felt like yet another obstacle and it was shaping up as a pretty bad start for the first half.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to get himself fit in time.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six games as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, developing a formidable understanding in midfield with his teammate, who in turn has gone on to impress for the first team under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started this season just as impressively for his club, featuring in all matches to help them to the top five in the standings.
“Representing the national team would be among the most special occasions of my life,” Scott said earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, improving every day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”
