Back when Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
That prediction turned out to be a bit of an underestimation.
Now 22 years old and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the midfielder has earned his first summons to the full England squad.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to possible international star is a true throwback, a story rarely told in the modern game.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a professional football player, never mind featuring in the top division and playing for the national team too,” Scott said in a recent interview.
“It’s been a crazy five or six years of my life, and circumstances have changed drastically for me and my loved ones.”
So how did Alex Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself at this level?
Developing in the lower tiers
Scott’s football journey has not been a typical one.
He spent over four years in the Saints’ youth system starting at eight, leaving school early each Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could attend training and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before his 13th birthday, though, they released him. Bournemouth gave Scott an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart was not in it.
Instead, he chose to remain on Guernsey and play for his local team.
“My form had dipped and flying over weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he explained.
“All I desired to chill at my home with my friends at the weekend because I missed almost several years of that experience. To have that little bit of childhood again was something I really required.
“To gain a bit of confidence by returning and playing island football was massive for me. It was probably the most crucial things that led me to this point.”
When he was just 16, the teenager became 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’ve been having sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the team because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss the coach commented at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the manner he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the professional game
Championship side the Robins – owned by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring Scott’s development after an impressive beginning in men’s football and arranged a trial in December 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” recalled the player. “The first day I joined the under-18s, the next day I was with the senior squad, which was a total shock.
“Midweek I played for his local side in London, travelled back and by Friday, I played 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.”
In just a year and a half, still well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut against the Hatters.
Scott made 83 league outings for the club while in his teens, often being used as a wide defender – and sometimes further forward as a number 10 – such was his adaptability and flexibility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
With his skill to drive the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to City and England playmaker Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he claimed the EFL Championship’s young player of the season honour, was selected in the league’s team of the year and was voted Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I believe he will represent England and I’m sure he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s boss at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.
Less than three months after, he joined Bournemouth for a reported fee of £25m.
Securing his major transfer
The midfielder experienced a difficult first season with the Cherries, waiting until October to make his Premier League debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then being in and out of the starting XI.
His following season was equally affected, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for nearly four months.
“I had quite a good run at the end 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 a pretty bad year for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the U21 Euros – and managed to regain fitness in time.
He started five of the England U21s’ six games as they claimed victory in the competition in Slovakia, developing a formidable understanding in the middle with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the first team with the national coach.
And he has started this season just as strongly for Bournemouth, featuring in all matches to help them to the top five in the table.
“To play for the national team would be among the most special occasions of my life,” the player said recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, getting better every day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”
