Back when Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his coach at the time predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
This statement proved to be a bit of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the midfielder has just received his first call-up to the full Three Lions team.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to possible England player is a true throwback, a journey seldom told in the modern era.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of making it as a pro footballer, let alone playing in the top division and representing England too,” the player said previously.
“It’s 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 the lower tiers
His football journey has not been a typical one.
He was part of four and a half years in the Saints’ academy setup from the age of eight, skipping school every Friday to fly from his home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could attend training and play for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to his 13th birthday, though, they decided to let him go. The Cherries were willing to offer Scott an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart was not in it.
Rather, he chose to stay on the island and turn out for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and flying over weekly was starting to feel overwhelming,” he explained.
“I just wanted to chill at home with my mates at weekends because I had missed almost several years of that experience. To have that little bit of youth again was something I definitely needed.
“To gain some self-belief by returning and taking part in local football was huge for me. It was probably the most crucial factors that led me to this point.”
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 57th-minute substitute in their Isthmian League match at Phoenix Sports.
“I had sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the side because he’s that good,” manager the coach commented at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the manner he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Second-tier club Bristol City – owned by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking Scott’s development after an promising beginning in men’s football and arranged a trial in late 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 total surprise.
“Midweek I featured for his local side in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I played for the youth team and scored a hat-trick. From that point a certainty for me to sign a deal.”
Within a year and a half, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut against the Hatters.
He went on to make eighty-three league outings for the club while still a teenager, often being deployed as a wide defender – and sometimes further forward as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his adaptability and versatility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
With his ability to carry the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and England playmaker Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he won the EFL Championship’s best young player honour, was selected in the division’s best XI and was named the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I think he’ll play for his country and I think he’ll go on to the top of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at the club, remarked last year.
Less than three months later, he joined Bournemouth for a reported transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his big move
Scott endured a difficult debut campaign with the club, waiting until the autumn to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then being in and out of the team.
His following season was equally disrupted, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for nearly four months.
“There was a decent run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained he.
“That felt like almost another obstacle and it was turning out to be a pretty bad year for the first half.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to get himself fit in time.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they went on to win the competition in the host nation, forming a strong partnership in the middle with his teammate, who in turn has gone on to impress for the senior side with the national coach.
And he has started the current campaign just as impressively 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 occasions of my life,” the player stated earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, maintain my love for the game, getting better day on day, and hopefully I impress the England manager and get my chance.”
