When Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager back then predicted, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
This statement turned out to be a bit of an understatement.
Today aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has just received his first summons to the senior England squad.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to possible England player is a true blast from the past, a story seldom told in the modern game.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of becoming a professional football player, never mind featuring in the top division and representing England too,” Scott said previously.
“It has been a crazy five or six years of my life, and circumstances have changed completely for myself and my loved ones.”
But in what way did Alex Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up at this level?
Learning in non-league
Scott’s path in football has been far from a typical one.
He was part of over four years in Southampton’s youth system from the age of eight, skipping school each Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could attend training and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Before his 13th birthday, though, they decided to let him go. The Cherries gave him an opportunity and he remained with them for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart was not in it.
Instead, he opted to remain on Guernsey and play for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling weekly was becoming a bit too much,” he explained.
“All I desired to chill at my home with my mates at weekends because I had missed almost several years of doing that. To have that little bit of youth back was something I really needed.
“To gain some confidence by returning and playing island football was massive for me. That proved to be perhaps one of the most important factors that got me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, Scott became the youngest player in the club’s records when he was introduced as a 57th-minute replacement in their league match at the opposition.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could get him in the team because his talent is obvious,” 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 pure quality.”
Returning to the professional game
Championship side the Robins – owned by islander their owner – had been monitoring his early progress after an promising beginning in men’s football and gave him a trial in December 2019.
“It was chaos,” recalled Scott. “Day one I trained with the youth team, the second day I was with the first team, which was a complete surprise.
“Midweek I played for his local side in London, travelled back and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a hat-trick. It was almost a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
Within 18 months, still well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut against Luton.
Scott made 83 league appearances for the club while in his teens, frequently being used as a wide defender – and sometimes in attack as a number 10 – demonstrating his versatility and flexibility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his ability to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and England playmaker Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he won the second tier’s young player of the season honour, was selected in the division’s best XI and was named the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I believe he will represent England and I think he will progress to the pinnacle of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated previously.
Less than 90 days after, he signed for the Cherries for a reported fee of £25m.
Getting his major transfer
The midfielder experienced a difficult debut campaign with the Cherries, having to wait until the autumn to earn his top-flight debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then finding himself in and out of the team.
His second campaign was equally disrupted, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for nearly several months.
“I had quite a good run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said Scott.
“That felt like almost another setback and it was shaping up as quite a terrible start for the first half.”
But he was then selected by England for the U21 Euros – and managed to get himself fit in time.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six games as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, developing a strong partnership in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who himself has gone on to impress for the senior side under the national coach.
And he has started the current campaign just as strongly for his club, featuring in all matches to help them to the top five in the standings.
“To play for the England senior team would be among the most special moments of my life,” the player said earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to continue developing as a player, maintain my love for football, getting better day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the national coach and get my chance.”
