When Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager at the time predicted, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
That statement turned out to be something of an understatement.
Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has just received his first summons to the full Three Lions team.
His rise from non-league prodigy to potential international star is a true blast from the past, a story rarely seen in the modern game.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was no chance of making it as a pro footballer, never mind playing in the top division and playing for the national team too,” the player stated 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 family.”
So how did Alex Scott, known fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself here?
Learning in non-league
Scott’s path in football has been far from a conventional one.
He spent four and a half years in Southampton’s youth system from the age of eight, leaving school early each Friday to travel by air from his home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could train and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Before his 13th birthday, though, they released him. The Cherries gave Scott an option and he remained with them for a while, but, as he later admitted, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he chose to remain on Guernsey and play for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over weekly was becoming a bit too much,” he explained.
“All I desired to chill at my home with my friends at weekends because I missed nearly four and a half years of doing that. Getting that little bit of youth back was something I really required.
“Building a bit of self-belief by returning and taking part in local football was huge for me. That proved to be perhaps the most crucial factors that got me to this point.”
At the age of 16, the teenager became the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a 57th-minute replacement in their league fixture at the opposition.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could include him in the side because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss the coach commented back then.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Championship side the Robins – chaired by Guernsey resident their owner – had been monitoring his development after an impressive beginning in adult football and gave him a trial in December 2019.
“It was hectic,” said Scott. “The first day I trained with the youth team, the next day I trained with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.
“Midweek I played for his local side in London, returned home and on the Friday, I played for the youth team and netted a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
Within 18 months, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut against the Hatters.
Scott went on to make 83 league appearances for the club while still a teenager, often being deployed as a wing-back – and occasionally in attack as a number 10 – such was his adaptability and versatility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
With his ability to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and England playmaker Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the EFL Championship’s young player of the season award, was chosen in the league’s best XI and was named Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I think he’ll play for his country and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s manager at the club, remarked last year.
Less than three months after, he joined Bournemouth for a understood transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his big move
Scott experienced a challenging debut campaign with the club, having to wait until October to make his top-flight debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then finding himself inconsistent of the starting XI.
His second campaign was just as disrupted, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for almost several months.
“There was a decent run at the end of last season, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained he.
“It was yet another setback and the year was turning out to be a pretty bad start for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to regain fitness for the tournament.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they claimed victory in the competition in Slovakia, developing a strong understanding in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who himself has excelled for the first team under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun the current campaign equally as strongly for Bournemouth, featuring in all matches to guide them to the top five in the table.
“To play for the England senior team would be one of the proudest occasions of my career,” Scott stated recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, getting better every day, and with luck I impress the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
