Back when Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his manager back then assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
This statement turned out to be something of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has earned his maiden call-up to the senior Three Lions team.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to possible England player is a true blast from the past, a journey rarely told in the modern game.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“In my mind, 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 changed drastically for me and my family.”
So in what way did Alex Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up here?
Learning in the lower tiers
Scott’s path in football has not been a typical one.
He spent over four years in Southampton’s youth system starting at eight, skipping school each Friday to travel by air from his home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could train and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to his 13th birthday, though, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth gave Scott an option and he remained with them for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he opted to stay on Guernsey and turn out for his local team.
“My form had dipped and traveling weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he explained.
“I just wanted to chill at my home with my mates at weekends because I had missed almost four and a half years of doing that. To have that slice of youth back was something I definitely needed.
“Building a bit of self-belief by returning and playing island football was massive for me. That proved to be perhaps the most crucial things that got me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, the teenager became the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a 57th-minute replacement in their Isthmian League match at Phoenix Sports.
“I had sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the side because he’s that good,” manager Tony Vance stated at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Championship side Bristol City – chaired by Guernsey resident their owner – had been monitoring his early progress after an impressive beginning in men’s football and gave him a trial in December 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” said Scott. “Day one I trained with the under-18s, the next day I was with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.
“On the Wednesday I played for his local side in London, returned home and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and scored a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to sign a deal.”
In just 18 months, 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 still a teenager, often being deployed as a wing-back – and sometimes further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his adaptability and versatility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his skill to carry the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and England playmaker Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he claimed the second tier’s young player of the season honour, was chosen in the division’s best XI and was voted Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I think he will represent his country and I’m sure he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at the club, remarked last year.
Less than three months after, he signed for Bournemouth for a reported fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his big move
Scott endured a challenging debut campaign with the Cherries, waiting until October to earn his top-flight debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then being inconsistent of the team.
His following season was equally disrupted, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for nearly four months.
“There was a decent run at the close of last season, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said he.
“It was yet another obstacle and it was shaping up as quite a terrible start for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in get himself fit in time.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six games as they went on to win the competition in Slovakia, forming a strong partnership in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has excelled for the first team under Thomas Tuchel.
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.
“To play for the national team would be one of the proudest moments of my career,” Scott stated earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, maintain my love for football, getting better day on day, and hopefully I impress the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
