Back when Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before just 55 spectators in 2019, his manager at the time predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
That statement proved to be something of an understatement.
Today aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has just received his maiden call-up to the full England team.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to potential England player is a true throwback, a story rarely seen in the modern era.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was no chance of making it as a pro footballer, let alone featuring in the Premier League and representing England too,” Scott stated previously.
“It has been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for myself and my loved ones.”
So in what way did Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up at this level?
Developing in the lower tiers
Scott’s football journey has not been a typical one.
He spent over four years in Southampton’s academy setup starting at eight, skipping school every Friday to travel by air from his home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could train and play for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to he turned 13, though, they released him. Bournemouth were willing to offer 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 chose to stay on Guernsey and turn out for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he recalled.
“All I desired to chill at my home with my friends at the weekend because I had missed nearly several years of doing that. To have that slice of childhood back was a thing I really required.
“To gain some self-belief by returning and playing local football was massive for me. That proved to be perhaps one of the most important things that led me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, the teenager made history as the youngest player in the club’s records when he was introduced as a 57th-minute substitute in their Isthmian League match at the opposition.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could get him in the team because his talent is obvious,” manager 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 professional game
Championship side Bristol City – owned by islander their owner – had been tracking Scott’s development after an impressive beginning in men’s football and arranged a try-out in December 2019.
“It was chaos,” recalled the player. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the second day I was with the first team, which was a complete surprise.
“On the Wednesday I featured for his local side in London, travelled back and on the Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
In just a year and a half, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut versus Luton.
Scott made eighty-three league appearances for the club while in his teens, often being deployed as a wide defender – and sometimes further forward as a number 10 – such was his versatility and flexibility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
With his skill to carry the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to City and England playmaker Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he won the EFL Championship’s best young player award, was selected in the division’s team of the year and was voted the club’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I believe he will represent his country and I think he will progress to the top of the game,” his former manager, the player’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated last year.
Within 90 days after, he signed for Bournemouth for a reported fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his major transfer
Scott endured a difficult debut campaign with the Cherries, having to wait until the autumn to make his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then being inconsistent of the team.
His second campaign was equally disrupted, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for nearly four months.
“I had quite a good run at the close of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained he.
“It was yet another setback and it was shaping up as quite a terrible year for the first half.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in regain fitness in time.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six matches as they claimed victory in the tournament in the host nation, developing a strong understanding in the middle with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the senior side under the national coach.
And he has begun this season just as strongly for his club, featuring in all matches to help them to the top five in the standings.
“Representing the England senior team would be among the most special moments of my life,” Scott said earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to continue developing as a player, maintain my love for football, improving day on day, and hopefully I impress the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
