Back when Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
This statement proved to be something of an underestimation.
Today aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the playmaker has just received his maiden summons to the senior England squad.
His rise from non-league prodigy to possible international star is a proper blast from the past, a story seldom told in the modern game.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of becoming a pro footballer, never mind featuring in the top division and playing for the national team too,” the player said previously.
“It has been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have changed drastically for me and my family.”
So how did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself here?
Learning in non-league
Scott’s football journey has been far from a conventional one.
He spent four and a half years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, leaving school early every Friday to fly from his home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could attend training and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before his 13th birthday, though, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth gave Scott an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind was not in it.
Rather, he opted to remain on the island and turn out for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling weekly was starting to feel a bit too much,” he explained.
“I just wanted to relax at home with my friends at the weekend because I had missed almost four and a half years of that experience. Getting that little bit of youth again was a thing I definitely needed.
“To gain a bit of confidence by coming back and taking part in local football was massive for me. That proved to be perhaps the most crucial factors that led me to this point.”
At the age of 16, Scott made history as the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a 57th-minute substitute in their Isthmian League match at the opposition.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the team because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss the coach commented at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the way he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Championship side the Robins – owned by Guernsey resident their owner – had been monitoring his early progress after an impressive beginning in adult football and arranged a try-out in late 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” recalled Scott. “Day one I joined the youth team, the second day I was with the first team, which was a total surprise.
“On the Wednesday I played for his local side in London, travelled back and on the Friday, I played for the youth team and scored a three goals. From that point a certainty for me to sign a deal.”
Within 18 months, still well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut versus the Hatters.
He went on to make 83 league appearances for the Robins while still a teenager, frequently being used as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – such was his adaptability and flexibility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was their best player.
With his skill to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and national team attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the second tier’s best young player award, was chosen in the league’s best XI and was voted Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I believe he will represent his country and I’m sure he will progress to the pinnacle of the game,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s boss at the club, remarked previously.
Less than three months later, he signed for Bournemouth for a understood fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his big move
The midfielder endured a challenging debut campaign with the Cherries, having to wait until October to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then being in and out of the team.
His second campaign was just as affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for nearly several months.
“I had a decent run at the close of last season, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained he.
“It was yet another setback and the year was turning out to be quite a terrible start for the first five months.”
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 England U21s’ six matches as they went on to win the competition in Slovakia, developing a formidable understanding in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has excelled for the first team with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun the current campaign equally as impressively for his club, featuring in all matches to guide them to the top five in the table.
“Representing the England senior team would be among the most special moments of my career,” Scott stated recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, maintain my love for the game, getting better day on day, and with luck I catch the eye of the national coach and get my chance.”
