Back when Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 fans in 2019, his manager at the time predicted, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
That statement proved to be a bit of an understatement.
Today 22 years old and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the playmaker has just received his first call-up to the senior Three Lions team.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to potential England player is a true blast from the past, a story seldom told in the modern era.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was no chance of making it as a pro footballer, let alone featuring in the top division and representing the national team too,” Scott stated previously.
“It has been a crazy five or six years of my life, and circumstances have transformed drastically for me and my loved ones.”
But in what way did Alex Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself here?
Developing 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 starting at eight, skipping school each Friday to fly from his home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could train and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to he turned 13, however, they decided to let him go. The Cherries gave Scott an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, as he later admitted, his heart was not in it.
Rather, he chose to stay on the island and turn out for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over weekly was starting to feel a bit too much,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to chill at my home with my friends at weekends because I missed almost several years of doing that. Getting that slice of childhood back was something I definitely required.
“To gain some self-belief by returning and taking part in local football was massive for me. It was probably one of the most important factors that led me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, Scott became the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a 57th-minute replacement in their Isthmian League fixture at the opposition.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the side because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss the coach stated back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the way he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Second-tier club Bristol City – owned by islander their owner – had been tracking Scott’s development after an promising start in men’s football and arranged a trial in late 2019.
“It was chaos,” recalled the player. “The first day I joined the youth team, the second day I trained with the senior squad, which was a total surprise.
“On the Wednesday I played 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 18 months, even well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut versus Luton.
Scott went on to make 83 league outings for the Robins while in his teens, often being used as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – demonstrating his versatility and flexibility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was their best player.
With his ability to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and national team attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he won 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.
“Without question, I think he will represent England and I’m sure he’ll go on to the top of the game,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s manager at the club, remarked previously.
Less than 90 days after, he signed for the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of £25m.
Securing his big move
The midfielder endured a difficult first season with the Cherries, waiting until the autumn to earn his top-flight debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.
His following season was just as affected, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for almost 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 yet another obstacle and the year was shaping up as a pretty bad year for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in regain fitness in time.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six games as they went on to win the competition in Slovakia, forming a strong understanding in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who himself has gone on to impress for the first team with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun the current campaign just as impressively for Bournemouth, playing in every game to help them to the top five in the table.
“To play for the national team would be among the most special moments of my career,” Scott said earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I must keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying the game, getting better day on day, and hopefully I impress the national coach and get my chance.”
