When Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before just 55 spectators in 2019, his manager at the time predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
This statement turned out to be something of an underestimation.
Now 22 years old and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the playmaker has earned his maiden summons to the senior England squad.
His rise from non-league prodigy to possible international star is a proper throwback, a story rarely told in the modern era.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of becoming a professional football player, never mind playing in the Premier League and representing the national team too,” Scott said in a recent interview.
“It’s been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and things have transformed completely for me and my family.”
But in what way did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself at this level?
Learning in non-league
Scott’s football journey has not been a conventional one.
He spent four and a half years in the Saints’ youth system from the age of eight, skipping school each Friday to travel by air from his home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could train and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before he turned 13, however, they decided to let him go. The Cherries gave Scott an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind was not in it.
Instead, he chose to remain on Guernsey and turn out for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling weekly was becoming a bit too much,” he explained.
“I just wanted to chill at my home with my friends at weekends because I had missed almost four and a half years of that experience. Getting that slice of childhood back was something I definitely required.
“Building a bit of self-belief by coming back and taking part in island football was massive for me. It was probably the most crucial things that led me to this point.”
At the age of 16, Scott became the youngest player 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 trying to work out how I could include him in the team because he’s that good,” manager the coach commented back then.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the manner he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Second-tier club the Robins – owned by islander Steve Lansdown – had been tracking his development after an impressive beginning in men’s football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled Scott. “Day one I trained with the youth team, the second day I was with the senior squad, which was a total surprise.
“On the Wednesday I featured for Guernsey FC in London, returned home and on the Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a three goals. From that point a done deal for me to sign a deal.”
In just a year and a half, even well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut against Luton.
Scott made eighty-three league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, frequently being deployed as a wing-back – and sometimes further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his adaptability and flexibility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
With his ability to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and national team playmaker Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he claimed the EFL Championship’s best young player award, was selected in the league’s best XI and was voted Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I believe he’ll play for England and I think he’ll go on to the top of the game,” his former manager, the player’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked last year.
Less than 90 days after, he signed for Bournemouth for a understood fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his big move
Scott experienced a difficult debut campaign with the club, waiting until the autumn to earn his Premier League debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then being in and out of the team.
His following season was just as affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for almost four months.
“I had quite a good run at the end of last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” said Scott.
“It was almost another setback and it was turning out to be quite a terrible year for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to get himself fit for the tournament.
He started five of the England U21s’ six matches as they went on to win the competition in Slovakia, forming a strong understanding in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who himself has gone on to impress for the senior side under the national coach.
And he has started this season just as impressively for his club, featuring in every game to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“Representing the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my career,” the player stated earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I must continue developing as a player, maintain my love for football, getting better every day, and with luck I impress the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
