When Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before just 55 fans in 2019, his manager at the time predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
This prediction turned out to be a bit of an underestimation.
Now 22 years old and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has earned his maiden summons to the senior Three Lions team.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to possible international star is a true throwback, a story seldom seen in the modern era.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of making it as a professional football player, let alone featuring in the top division and representing England too,” the player said previously.
“It’s been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and things have transformed completely for me and my loved ones.”
But how did Alex Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up at this level?
Learning in non-league
Scott’s path in football has been far from a conventional one.
He was part of over four years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, leaving school early each Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could train and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to he turned 13, though, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth gave Scott an option and he remained with them for a time, but, as he later admitted, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he opted to remain on the island and turn out for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over every week was starting to feel a bit too much,” he recalled.
“All I desired to relax at my home with my friends at the weekend because I had missed almost several years of that experience. To have that slice of youth again was a thing I definitely needed.
“Building some self-belief by coming back and taking part in local football was massive for me. That proved to be probably the most crucial factors that led me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, the teenager made history as the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a 57th-minute replacement in their league match at the opposition.
“I had sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could include him in the team because his talent is obvious,” manager the coach stated at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the way he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Second-tier club the Robins – owned by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring Scott’s development after an promising beginning in men’s football and gave him a try-out in late 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” said the player. “The first day I trained with the youth team, the next day I was with the senior squad, which was a complete shock.
“Midweek I featured for Guernsey FC in London, travelled back and on the Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
Within 18 months, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut against the Hatters.
Scott made 83 league appearances for the club while in his teens, often being used as a wing-back – and occasionally in attack as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his versatility and versatility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was their best player.
With his ability to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to City and England playmaker Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he won the EFL Championship’s best young player award, was selected in the division’s best XI and was voted the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I think he’ll play for England and I’m sure he’ll go on to the top of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s manager at the club, remarked last year.
Less than three months after, he signed for Bournemouth for a reported transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his major transfer
The midfielder endured a difficult debut campaign with the Cherries, having to wait until October to earn his Premier League debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.
His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for nearly four months.
“There was quite a good run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.
“That felt like almost another obstacle and it was turning out to be quite a terrible year for the first half.”
But he was then called up by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to get himself fit for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six matches as they claimed victory in the tournament in the host nation, forming a strong understanding in midfield with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the first team with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun this season just as impressively for Bournemouth, playing in all matches to help them to the top five in the table.
“Representing the national team would be one of the proudest occasions of my life,” the player stated recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I must continue developing as a footballer, maintain my love for football, getting better day on day, and with luck I impress the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
