When Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports before just 55 spectators in 2019, his manager at the time assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
That prediction turned out to be a bit of an understatement.
Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the playmaker has earned his maiden summons to the full England squad.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to potential England player is a true blast from the past, a journey seldom seen in the modern era.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of becoming a pro footballer, never mind playing in the Premier League and representing England as well,” Scott stated previously.
“It has been a incredible five or six years of my life, and things have changed drastically for myself and my loved ones.”
So in what way did Alex Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself here?
Developing in non-league
Scott’s football journey has not been a conventional one.
He spent four and a half years in the Saints’ youth system from the age of eight, skipping school each Friday to travel by air from his island home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could train and play for the club’s academy sides.
Before his 13th birthday, though, they released him. Bournemouth were willing to offer him an opportunity and he remained with them for a while, but, as he later admitted, his heart was not in it.
Rather, he chose to remain on Guernsey and turn out for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling every week was becoming a bit too much,” he explained.
“I just wanted to chill at home with my friends at weekends because I missed almost four and a half years of that experience. To have that little bit of youth back was a thing I really required.
“To gain some self-belief by coming back and playing local football was massive for me. That proved to be perhaps one of the most important factors that got me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, Scott made history as the youngest player in the club’s records when he was introduced as a second-half substitute in their league match at Phoenix Sports.
“I had sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the team because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance commented at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the way he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Championship side the Robins – chaired by islander their owner – had been monitoring Scott’s development after an promising start in adult football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” recalled Scott. “The first day I joined the under-18s, the next day I trained with the first team, which was a complete shock.
“Midweek I played for his local side in the capital, travelled back and on the Friday, I played for the youth team and scored a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
Within a year and a half, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut against Luton.
He went on to make 83 league outings for the club while still a teenager, often being deployed as a wing-back – and sometimes in attack as a number 10 – such was his versatility and flexibility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was their best player.
Thanks to his skill to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and England attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the second tier’s best young player award, was selected in the division’s team of the year and was voted Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I believe he’ll play for his country and I’m sure he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked last year.
Less than three months later, he signed for Bournemouth for a reported transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his big move
Scott endured a difficult debut campaign with the club, having to wait until October to earn his top-flight debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then finding himself in and out of the team.
His second campaign was just as affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for almost four months.
“I had quite a good 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 the year was turning out to be quite a terrible year for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in get himself fit for the tournament.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six games as they claimed victory in the tournament in the host nation, developing a formidable understanding in midfield with his teammate, who himself has gone on to impress for the first team with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun this season equally as strongly for his club, featuring in all matches to help them to the top five in the table.
“Representing the England senior team would be among the most special moments of my career,” the player stated earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying the game, getting better every day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
