Back when Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 fans in 2019, his coach at the time predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
That statement turned out to be a bit of an underestimation.
Today aged 22 and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the midfielder has earned his first call-up to the full Three Lions team.
His rise from non-league prodigy to potential England player is a true throwback, a journey rarely seen in the modern game.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of making it as a pro footballer, let alone playing in the Premier League and playing for England as well,” Scott stated in a recent interview.
“It’s been a crazy five or six years of my life, and things have changed drastically for me and my loved ones.”
So how did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up here?
Learning in the lower tiers
Scott’s football journey has been far from a typical one.
He spent over four years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, leaving school early every Friday to fly from his island home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could attend training and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before his 13th birthday, however, they released him. Bournemouth gave Scott an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, as he later admitted, his heart was not in it.
Instead, he opted to remain on the island and play for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he explained.
“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 back was a thing I definitely required.
“To gain some confidence by coming back and playing island football was massive for me. It was probably one of the most important factors that got me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, the teenager became the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a 57th-minute substitute in their Isthmian League fixture at the opposition.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could get him in the side because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance commented at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the professional game
Second-tier club Bristol City – chaired by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring his development after an promising start in adult 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 next day I was with the senior squad, which was a total surprise.
“Midweek I played for his local side in the capital, travelled back and by Friday, I played for the youth team and netted a hat-trick. 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 senior debut against Luton.
He went on to make eighty-three league appearances for the club while in his teens, frequently being used as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – such was his adaptability and flexibility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his skill to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team attacking midfielder Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he won the EFL Championship’s young player of the season award, was selected in the league’s team of the year and was named the club’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I believe he will represent his country and I’m sure he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the sport,” his former manager, Scott’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated last year.
Less than 90 days after, he joined the Cherries for a understood fee of £25m.
Getting his major transfer
The midfielder experienced a challenging debut campaign with the club, waiting until the autumn to make his Premier League debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then being inconsistent of the team.
His following season was equally disrupted, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for almost four months.
“I had a decent run at the end of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said Scott.
“It was yet another obstacle and it 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 for the tournament.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six games as they claimed victory in the competition in Slovakia, developing a formidable partnership in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has excelled for the first team under the national coach.
And he has begun the current campaign equally as strongly for Bournemouth, playing in all matches to guide them to the top five in the table.
“To play for the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my life,” the player stated recently.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, getting better day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the national coach and get my chance.”
