Back when Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his manager back then assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
That prediction turned out to be a bit of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the playmaker has earned his maiden call-up to the senior Three Lions squad.
His rise from non-league prodigy to potential international star is a proper blast from the past, a story rarely seen in the modern game.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was no chance of becoming a professional football player, let alone featuring in the top division and playing for the national team as well,” the player said in a recent interview.
“It’s been a crazy five or six years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for me and my loved ones.”
So in what way did Alex Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself at this level?
Learning in the lower tiers
Scott’s path in football has been far from a conventional one.
He spent over four years in Southampton’s youth system starting at eight, leaving school early every Friday to travel by air from his island home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could attend training and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to he turned 13, however, they released him. Bournemouth gave him an option and he remained with them for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind was not in it.
Rather, he chose to stay on Guernsey and turn out for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling weekly was starting to feel overwhelming,” he explained.
“All I desired to relax at home with my friends at the weekend because I missed nearly four and a half years of that experience. Getting that slice of youth again was something I really required.
“Building some confidence by coming back and taking part in island football was massive for me. That proved to be probably the most crucial things that got me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, Scott made history as the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a second-half replacement in their Isthmian League match at the opposition.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could include him in the team because he’s that good,” manager the coach commented back then.
“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
Second-tier club the Robins – owned by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring Scott’s development after an promising beginning in men’s football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” said Scott. “The first day I joined the under-18s, the next day I was with the senior squad, which was a total shock.
“On the Wednesday 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 sign a deal.”
In just 18 months, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut versus Luton.
Scott made eighty-three league outings for the Robins while in his teens, frequently being used as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – demonstrating his versatility and flexibility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his skill to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and England attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the EFL Championship’s young player of the season award, was selected in the league’s team of the year and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I think he’ll play for England and I think he’ll go on to the top of the game,” his former manager, the player’s boss at the club, stated previously.
Less than 90 days later, he joined the Cherries for a understood fee of £25m.
Securing his big move
The midfielder endured a challenging first season with the club, having to wait until the autumn to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then being in and out of the starting XI.
His second campaign was just as affected, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for nearly four months.
“I had quite a good run at the close of last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” said he.
“It was yet another obstacle and it was turning out to be a pretty bad start for the first half.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in get himself fit in time.
He started five of the England U21s’ six games as they claimed victory in the competition in Slovakia, forming a strong partnership in midfield with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the first team under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started this season equally as strongly for Bournemouth, playing in all matches to help them to fifth in the table.
“Representing the national team would be one of the proudest moments of my life,” Scott said earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I must continue developing as a player, keep enjoying the game, getting better day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”
