When Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his coach at the time predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
This statement turned out to be something of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the playmaker has just received his first summons to the full Three Lions squad.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to possible international star is a proper blast from the past, a story rarely seen in the modern era.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was no chance of becoming a professional football player, never mind featuring in the top division and playing for the national team as well,” the player said previously.
“It’s been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have changed completely for me and my loved ones.”
So in what way did Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself here?
Learning in non-league
Scott’s football journey has been far from a conventional one.
He was part of four and a half years in the Saints’ academy setup from the age of eight, skipping school each Friday to fly from his island home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could train and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they released him. The Cherries gave Scott an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, as he later admitted, his mind was not in it.
Rather, he opted to remain on Guernsey and play for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and flying over every week was becoming overwhelming,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to chill at home with my friends at the weekend because I had missed nearly several years of that experience. Getting that slice of youth again was something I definitely required.
“Building a bit of self-belief by returning and taking part in island football was huge for me. That proved to be probably one of the most important things that got me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, the teenager made history as the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a second-half substitute in their league fixture at the opposition.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could get him in the side because he’s that good,” manager Tony Vance stated at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Second-tier club Bristol City – chaired by islander their owner – had been tracking Scott’s development after an impressive beginning in adult football and gave him a trial in late 2019.
“It was hectic,” said the player. “The first day I joined the under-18s, the second day I was with the first team, which was a complete shock.
“On the Wednesday I played for his local side in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and netted a three goals. It was almost a done deal for me to sign a contract.”
Within a year and a half, even well before his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut versus the Hatters.
Scott made eighty-three league outings for the club while in his teens, often being used as a wide defender – and sometimes in attack as a attacking midfielder – such was his versatility and flexibility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his ability to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to City and England attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he claimed the second tier’s best young player award, was selected in the division’s best XI and was voted the club’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I believe he’ll play for his country and I think he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s manager at Ashton Gate, stated last year.
Within 90 days later, he joined Bournemouth for a reported fee of £25m.
Getting his major transfer
The midfielder experienced a challenging first season with the club, waiting until the autumn to make his Premier League debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then being in and out of the team.
His following season was just as disrupted, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for nearly four months.
“I had a decent run at the end of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said he.
“It was yet another setback and the year was turning out to be a pretty bad start for the first half.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the U21 Euros – and managed to regain fitness for the tournament.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they went on to win the competition in Slovakia, developing a strong partnership in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has gone on to impress for the first team under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun the current campaign just as strongly for his club, featuring in all matches to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“To play for the England senior team would be one of the proudest occasions of my career,” Scott stated recently.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, getting better every day, and with luck I impress the England manager and get my chance.”
