Back when Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his coach at the time assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
That prediction turned out to be a bit of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the playmaker has just received his maiden call-up to the full Three Lions team.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to possible international star is a true blast from the past, a story seldom seen in the modern era.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was no chance of becoming a pro footballer, never mind featuring in the top division and representing England as well,” Scott stated in a recent interview.
“It has been a crazy five or six years of my life, and things have transformed completely for me and my loved ones.”
So in what way did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up at this level?
Developing in the lower tiers
Scott’s football journey has been far from a typical one.
He was part of over four years in Southampton’s youth system starting at eight, leaving school early every Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the south coast 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 him an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he opted to stay on Guernsey and play for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over weekly was starting to feel a bit too much,” he explained.
“All I desired to chill at home with my friends at weekends because I missed nearly several years of doing that. Getting that slice of youth again was something I really needed.
“To gain some confidence by returning and playing island football was massive for me. That proved to be perhaps one of the most important factors that got me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, Scott made history as the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a second-half replacement in their league fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could include him in the team because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss 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 a class act.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Second-tier club Bristol City – owned by islander their owner – had been monitoring his development after an impressive start in men’s football and gave him a trial in late 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled Scott. “The first day I trained with the under-18s, the next day I trained 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 the youth team and netted a hat-trick. From that point a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
In just a year and a half, still well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut versus Luton.
He went on to make 83 league appearances for the club while in his teens, often being deployed as a wide defender – and sometimes further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his adaptability and versatility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was their best player.
Thanks to his skill to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he won the EFL Championship’s young player of the season award, was selected in the division’s best XI and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I think he will represent England and I’m sure he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at the club, remarked last year.
Less than three months later, he signed for Bournemouth for a understood transfer fee of £25m.
Getting his big move
Scott experienced a difficult debut campaign with the club, having to wait until the autumn to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then being in and out of the starting XI.
His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for almost several months.
“I had quite a good run at the end of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” said Scott.
“It was almost another setback and the year was shaping up as a pretty bad year for the first half.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in regain fitness for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six games as they claimed victory in the competition in the host nation, forming a strong understanding in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has gone on to impress for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started this season just as impressively for his club, playing in all matches to help them to the top five in the standings.
“Representing the national team would be one of the proudest occasions of my life,” Scott said earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, maintain my love for football, improving every day, and with luck I impress the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
