Back when Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his manager at the time predicted, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
That statement turned out to be a bit of an understatement.
Today 22 years old and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the midfielder has just received his maiden summons to the senior England squad.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to possible international star is a proper blast from the past, a story rarely seen in the modern era.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of becoming a professional football player, never mind featuring in the top division and representing the national team too,” the player said in a recent interview.
“It has been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have transformed drastically for me and my loved ones.”
But how did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up here?
Learning in non-league
His football journey has not been a conventional one.
He spent four and a half years in the Saints’ academy setup 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 play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth were willing to offer Scott an option and he remained with them for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he opted to remain on the island 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.
“All I desired to relax at my home with my friends at the weekend because I missed nearly several years of that experience. To have that little bit of youth back was something I really required.
“To gain some confidence by coming back and playing island football was huge for me. It was perhaps the most crucial factors that led me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, the teenager made history as the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a second-half replacement in their league match at Phoenix Sports.
“I had sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could get him in the team because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss the coach commented back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the manner he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Second-tier club Bristol City – owned by Guernsey resident their owner – had been monitoring his early progress after an impressive start in adult football and arranged a trial in December 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled the player. “The first day I joined the youth team, the next day I was with the senior squad, which was a total shock.
“On the Wednesday I featured for his local side in London, travelled back and on the Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a hat-trick. From that point a done deal for me to sign a contract.”
In just a year and a half, even well before his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut against the Hatters.
Scott made eighty-three league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, often being deployed as a wing-back – and occasionally in attack as a number 10 – demonstrating 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 forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to City and national team playmaker Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he won the EFL Championship’s young player of the season honour, was selected in the league’s team of the year and was voted the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I believe he’ll play for England and I’m sure he will progress to the pinnacle of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked last year.
Less than three months later, he signed for the Cherries for a understood transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his major transfer
Scott endured a difficult debut campaign with the Cherries, waiting until the autumn to make his Premier League debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then finding himself in and out of the team.
His following season was just as affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for almost several months.
“I had quite a good run at the close of last season, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said he.
“It was almost another setback and it was turning out to be quite a terrible year for the first half.”
But he was then called up by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to regain fitness for the tournament.
He started five of the England U21s’ six matches as they went on to win the competition in Slovakia, developing a strong partnership in midfield with his teammate, who in turn has gone on to impress for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started this season just as impressively for his club, playing in every game to guide them to fifth in the standings.
“To play for the England senior team would be one of the proudest occasions of my career,” the player stated recently.
“It’s down to me, I must keep progressing as a player, keep enjoying the game, getting better every day, and with luck I impress the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
