Back when Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his coach at the time predicted, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
This prediction turned out to be something of an underestimation.
Now 22 years old and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his first call-up to the senior Three Lions squad.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to potential England player is a true throwback, a journey rarely seen in the modern game.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was no chance of making it as a professional football player, never mind playing in the Premier League and playing for England too,” the player stated in a recent interview.
“It has been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and things have transformed completely for myself and my loved ones.”
But in what way did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself at this level?
Learning in the lower tiers
Scott’s path in football has not been a conventional one.
He spent over four years in the Saints’ youth system from the age of eight, leaving school early every Friday to fly from his island home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could train and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before he turned 13, though, they decided to let him go. The Cherries were willing to offer Scott an opportunity and he remained with them for a while, but, as he later admitted, his heart was not in it.
Rather, he chose to remain on the island and turn out for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and flying over every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to relax at my home with my mates at the weekend because I had missed almost several years of doing that. To have that slice of youth back was something I really needed.
“Building a bit of confidence by returning and taking part in local football was massive for me. It was probably the most crucial things that led me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, the teenager made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he was introduced as a second-half 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 he’s that good,” manager Tony Vance commented at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the way he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Second-tier club Bristol City – owned by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking Scott’s early progress after an promising beginning in men’s football and arranged a trial in December 2019.
“It was chaos,” recalled the player. “Day one I joined the youth team, the next day I trained with the senior squad, which was a total shock.
“Midweek I featured for his local side in the capital, travelled back and on the Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a hat-trick. From that point a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
In just a year and a half, still well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut versus the Hatters.
Scott made 83 league outings for the Robins while still a teenager, frequently being used as a wide defender – and sometimes in attack as a number 10 – demonstrating his adaptability and versatility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was their best player.
With his ability to drive the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to City and national team attacking midfielder Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he won the second tier’s young player of the season award, was chosen in the league’s team of the year and was voted Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I believe he’ll play for his country and I think he will progress to the top of the game,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s manager at the club, stated last year.
Within 90 days after, he signed for Bournemouth for a reported transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his major transfer
The midfielder endured a challenging debut campaign with the Cherries, waiting until October to make his Premier League debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then finding himself in and out of the team.
His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for nearly several months.
“I had a decent run at the end of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained he.
“It was yet another obstacle and the year was turning out to be quite a terrible start 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 England U21s’ six matches as they went on to win the competition in Slovakia, forming a strong partnership in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has excelled for the first team with the national coach.
And he has begun this season just as strongly for his club, playing in all matches to help them to the top five in the table.
“To play for the England senior team would be one of the proudest occasions of my career,” the player stated earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I must keep progressing as a player, keep enjoying the game, getting better day on day, and with luck I catch the eye of the national coach and get my chance.”
