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 coach back then predicted, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
That prediction turned out to be something of an understatement.
Today aged 22 and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the playmaker has earned his maiden call-up to the senior Three Lions squad.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to potential international star is a proper blast from the past, a story rarely seen in the modern game.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of becoming a pro footballer, never mind featuring in the Premier League and representing the national team as well,” the player stated in a recent interview.
“It’s been a crazy five or six years of my life, and circumstances have transformed completely for me and my family.”
So how did Alex Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up at this level?
Learning in non-league
His path in football has not been a conventional one.
He spent four and a half years in Southampton’s youth system starting at eight, skipping school each Friday to travel by air from his home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could train and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to he turned 13, though, they released him. The Cherries gave Scott an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, as he later admitted, his heart was not in it.
Rather, he chose to stay on Guernsey and play for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over weekly was starting to feel a bit too much,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to relax at home with my mates at weekends because I had missed almost four and a half years of that experience. Getting that slice of youth back was a thing I really required.
“Building some 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 youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a second-half replacement in their league match at the opposition.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could include him in the team because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss the coach commented at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen 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
Championship side the Robins – owned by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring his development after an promising start in men’s football and arranged a trial in late 2019.
“It was chaos,” said the player. “Day one I joined the youth team, the second day I was with the first team, which was a complete shock.
“On the Wednesday I played for his local side in the capital, returned home and on the Friday, I took the field for the youth team and netted a hat-trick. 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 earning his first-team debut against Luton.
Scott went on to make 83 league appearances for the Robins while still a teenager, often being deployed as a wing-back – and occasionally in attack as a number 10 – such was his adaptability and flexibility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was their best player.
With his skill to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up 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 best young player honour, was selected in the league’s best XI and was named Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I believe he will represent England and I’m sure he’ll go on to the top of the game,” his former manager, the player’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated previously.
Within three months after, he signed for Bournemouth for a reported fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his major transfer
Scott experienced a challenging first season with the Cherries, having to wait until the autumn to earn his top-flight debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then finding himself inconsistent of the starting XI.
His following season was equally affected, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for almost four months.
“There was a decent run at the close of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained he.
“It was almost another setback 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 England U21s’ six matches as they went on to win the competition in the host nation, forming a strong understanding in midfield with his teammate, who himself has gone on to impress for the first team with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started the current campaign equally as strongly for his club, featuring in all matches to help them to the top five in the table.
“To play for the England senior team would be among the most special occasions of my career,” the player stated earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I must continue developing as a footballer, keep enjoying the game, improving day on day, and hopefully I impress the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
