When Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports before just 55 fans in 2019, his coach at the time predicted, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
That statement turned out to be something of an understatement.
Now 22 years old and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his maiden call-up to the senior England squad.
His rise from non-league prodigy to potential international star is a true throwback, a journey seldom seen in the modern era.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was no chance of becoming a professional football player, let alone featuring in the Premier League and representing the national team too,” Scott stated previously.
“It has been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and things have changed drastically for myself and my family.”
But how did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up at this level?
Developing in the lower tiers
His football journey has not been a typical one.
He spent over four years in Southampton’s youth system from the age of eight, leaving school early each Friday to fly from his home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could attend training and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before he turned 13, however, they released him. Bournemouth gave Scott an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, as he later admitted, his heart was not in it.
Rather, he opted to stay on the island and turn out for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling every week was starting to feel a bit too much,” he explained.
“All I desired to chill at home with my mates at the weekend because I missed nearly several years of that experience. To have that slice of childhood again was a thing I definitely required.
“Building some self-belief by returning and taking part in island football was massive for me. That proved to be perhaps one of the most important things that led me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, the teenager made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he came on as a 57th-minute 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 side because his talent is obvious,” manager the coach stated at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the way he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the professional game
Second-tier club Bristol City – chaired by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking 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. “Day one I joined the youth team, the next day I was with the senior squad, which was a total shock.
“Midweek I featured for Guernsey FC in the capital, returned home and on the Friday, I took the field for the youth team and netted a hat-trick. It was almost a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
Within a year and a half, even well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut against Luton.
He made eighty-three league outings for the Robins while still a teenager, often being used as a wing-back – and sometimes in attack as a number 10 – demonstrating his versatility and versatility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his skill to carry the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he claimed the second tier’s best young player award, was chosen in the league’s best XI and was voted the club’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I believe he will represent England and I think he will progress to the pinnacle of the game,” his former manager, the player’s boss at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.
Less than 90 days after, he signed for Bournemouth for a understood fee of £25m.
Getting his big move
Scott experienced a challenging first season with the Cherries, waiting until October to make his top-flight debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then finding himself in and out of the starting XI.
His second campaign was just as affected, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for almost four months.
“I had a decent run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained he.
“That felt like almost another obstacle and the year was turning out to be quite a terrible year for the first half.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in get himself fit in time.
He started five of the England U21s’ six matches as they claimed victory in the competition in Slovakia, forming a formidable understanding in midfield with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started this season equally as impressively for Bournemouth, featuring in every game to guide them to fifth in the standings.
“Representing the England senior team would be among the most special moments of my life,” the player said earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I must continue developing as a player, maintain my love for football, getting better day on day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
