Back when Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his coach at the time predicted, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
That prediction turned out to be a bit of an understatement.
Now 22 years old and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his maiden summons to the senior England team.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to possible international star is a proper blast from the past, a journey rarely told in the modern game.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was no chance of becoming a professional football player, never mind featuring in the top division and playing for the national team as well,” the player stated in a recent interview.
“It has been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have transformed drastically for myself and my loved ones.”
So how did Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself at this level?
Developing in the lower tiers
His football journey has not been a conventional one.
He was part of over four years in Southampton’s youth system starting at eight, skipping school every Friday to fly from his island home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could train and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. The Cherries gave him an option and he remained with them for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he chose to remain on Guernsey and turn out for his local team.
“My form had dipped and traveling every week was becoming overwhelming,” he recalled.
“All I desired to chill at home with my mates at weekends because I had missed almost several years of that experience. Getting that little bit of youth back was a thing I definitely needed.
“Building some confidence by coming back and taking part in local football was massive for me. That proved to be probably one of the most important things that got me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, Scott made history as 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 Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could get him in the side because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance commented at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the manner he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Second-tier club Bristol City – chaired by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking Scott’s development after an promising beginning in men’s football and gave him a try-out in late 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled Scott. “Day one I trained with the under-18s, the next day I trained with the senior squad, which was a total shock.
“Midweek I played for his local side in the capital, travelled back and by Friday, I played for the youth team and netted a hat-trick. From that point a certainty for me to sign a contract.”
Within 18 months, still well before his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut versus the Hatters.
He made eighty-three league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, frequently being deployed as a wing-back – and occasionally in attack as a number 10 – such was his adaptability and flexibility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was their best player.
Thanks to his ability to carry the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to City and national team attacking midfielder Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the second tier’s young player of the season honour, was chosen in the league’s best XI and was voted Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I think he’ll play for his country and I think he will progress to the top of the game,” his former manager, the player’s manager at the club, stated last year.
Within three months later, he joined the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of £25m.
Getting his big move
Scott experienced a challenging first season with the Cherries, having to wait until the autumn to earn his top-flight debut after a knee problem in pre-season, 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 several months.
“I had quite a good run at the end of last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.
“That felt like yet another setback and it was turning out to be quite a terrible year for the first half.”
But he was then selected by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in regain fitness for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six games as they claimed victory in the competition in Slovakia, forming a strong understanding in midfield with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the senior side under the national coach.
And he has started the current campaign just as strongly for his club, playing in every game to help them to fifth in the table.
“To play for the national team would be among the most special moments of my life,” Scott stated earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I must continue developing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, improving day on day, and with luck I catch the eye of the national coach and get my chance.”
