Back when Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 fans in 2019, his coach at the time assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
That prediction proved to be something of an underestimation.
Today 22 years old and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his maiden summons to the senior Three Lions team.
His rise from non-league prodigy to possible England player is a proper throwback, a story seldom seen in the modern era.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of making it as a professional football player, never mind playing in the Premier League and playing for England too,” Scott stated in a recent interview.
“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and things have transformed completely for myself and my family.”
So how did Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up here?
Learning in the lower tiers
Scott’s path in football has been far from a typical one.
He was part of over four years in Southampton’s academy setup starting at eight, leaving school early every Friday to fly from his home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could train and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to he turned 13, though, they decided to let him go. The Cherries gave him an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, as he later admitted, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he opted to remain on the island and turn out for his local team.
“My form had dipped and flying over weekly was becoming a bit too much,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to chill at home with my friends at the weekend because I had missed nearly several years of doing that. Getting that slice of youth again was a thing I really needed.
“Building some confidence by coming back and playing island football was massive for me. That proved to be perhaps the most crucial things that got me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, the teenager became the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a second-half replacement in their Isthmian League match at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the side because his talent is obvious,” manager the coach commented back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the professional game
Second-tier club the Robins – owned by islander their owner – had been monitoring his early progress after an impressive start in men’s football and gave him a trial in December 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled Scott. “The first day I joined the youth team, the second day I trained with the first team, which was a total surprise.
“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in London, returned home and on the Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a three goals. From that point a certainty for me to sign a deal.”
Within a year and a half, even well before his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut against the Hatters.
Scott went on to make eighty-three league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, often being deployed as a wide defender – and sometimes further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his versatility and flexibility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was their best player.
With his ability to drive the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he won the second tier’s best young player award, was chosen in the league’s team of the year and was voted the club’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I think he will represent England and I’m sure he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated previously.
Within three months after, he signed for the Cherries for a understood transfer fee of £25m.
Securing his major transfer
The midfielder experienced a difficult debut campaign with the Cherries, waiting until October to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then being in and out of the starting XI.
His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for nearly four months.
“There was quite a good run at the end of last season, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” said Scott.
“That felt like almost another obstacle and the year was shaping up as a pretty bad start for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in get himself fit for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they claimed victory in the tournament in Slovakia, forming a formidable partnership in midfield with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the first team under the national coach.
And he has begun the current campaign just as strongly for Bournemouth, playing in every game to help them to fifth in the table.
“Representing the national team would be among the most special occasions of my career,” Scott said recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, improving every day, and with luck I impress the England manager and get my chance.”
