When Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his coach at the time predicted, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
That statement proved to be a bit of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the playmaker has earned his maiden call-up to the full Three Lions team.
His rise from non-league prodigy to potential international star is a proper blast from the past, a journey seldom seen in the modern game.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was no chance of becoming a pro footballer, never mind playing in the top division and playing for the national team as well,” the player stated previously.
“It has been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and things have changed drastically for me and my family.”
But how did Alex Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself at this level?
Learning in the lower tiers
His football journey 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, skipping school every Friday to fly from his island home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could attend training and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to he turned 13, though, they decided to let him go. The Cherries gave Scott an opportunity and he remained with them for a time, but, as he later admitted, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he chose to remain on the island and turn out for his local team.
“My form had dipped and flying over weekly was starting to feel overwhelming,” he explained.
“I just wanted to chill at home with my friends at the weekend because I had missed nearly several years of that experience. Getting that slice of childhood back was a thing I definitely required.
“Building some self-belief by returning and taking part in island football was huge for me. That proved to be probably the most crucial things that led me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, the teenager became the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he came on as a second-half substitute in their Isthmian League fixture at the opposition.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the side because he’s that good,” manager the coach stated at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Second-tier club the Robins – owned by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring Scott’s early progress after an impressive start in men’s football and gave him a trial in late 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” recalled Scott. “The first day I joined the youth team, the next day I was with the senior squad, which was a complete shock.
“Midweek I featured for his local side in the capital, returned home and on the Friday, I took the field for the youth team and scored a hat-trick. From that point a certainty for me to sign a deal.”
Within a year and a half, still well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut versus Luton.
Scott went on to make eighty-three league appearances for the club while still a teenager, often being used as a wing-back – and sometimes further forward as a number 10 – such was his adaptability and versatility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his ability to drive the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he claimed the second tier’s young player of the season honour, was selected in the division’s best XI and was named Bristol City’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,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s manager at the club, remarked last year.
Less than three months after, he signed for Bournemouth for a understood transfer fee of £25m.
Securing his major transfer
The midfielder endured a challenging first season with the Cherries, waiting until the autumn to earn his top-flight debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.
His second campaign was just as affected, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for almost four months.
“There was a decent run at the close of last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained he.
“It was yet another obstacle and it was shaping up as quite a terrible year for the first half.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in regain fitness for the tournament.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six games as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, developing a strong partnership in the middle with his teammate, who himself has gone on to impress for the senior side under the national coach.
And he has begun the current campaign just as impressively for his club, featuring in all matches to help them to the top five in the standings.
“Representing the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my life,” the player said recently.
“It’s down to me, I must keep progressing as a player, keep enjoying the game, improving day on day, and hopefully I impress the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
