Back when Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his manager back then assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
That prediction proved to be something of an understatement.
Today 22 years old and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the midfielder has earned his first summons to the full England squad.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to potential international star is a true throwback, a journey rarely seen in the modern era.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was no chance of making it as a professional football player, let alone featuring in the Premier League and representing the national team too,” Scott stated in a recent interview.
“It has been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have transformed drastically for myself and my loved ones.”
So how did Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up at this level?
Developing in non-league
Scott’s football journey has not been a conventional one.
He spent four and a half years in Southampton’s youth system starting at eight, skipping school each Friday to travel by air from his island home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could train and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth gave Scott an option and he remained with them for a while, but, as he later admitted, his heart was not in it.
Rather, he chose to remain on Guernsey and turn out for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over weekly was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to chill at my home with my mates at weekends because I had missed nearly several years of that experience. To have that slice of youth back was something I definitely required.
“Building some self-belief by returning and playing island football was massive for me. It was perhaps the most crucial factors that led me to this point.”
At the age of 16, the teenager became the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a 57th-minute replacement in their Isthmian League fixture at the opposition.
“I had sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could get him in the side because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance commented at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the manner he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Championship side the Robins – chaired by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking Scott’s early progress after an impressive start in men’s football and gave him a try-out in late 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” said the player. “Day one I trained with the youth team, the second day I was with the first team, which was a complete surprise.
“Midweek I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to sign a contract.”
Within a year and a half, even well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut versus Luton.
He went on to make eighty-three league outings for the Robins while still a teenager, often being used as a wide defender – and occasionally in attack as a number 10 – such was his adaptability and versatility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his ability to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team playmaker Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he claimed the EFL Championship’s young player of the season award, was selected in the league’s best XI and was voted Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I think he will represent his country and I think he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at Ashton Gate, remarked last year.
Less than three months after, he signed for Bournemouth for a reported transfer fee of £25m.
Getting his major transfer
Scott experienced a challenging first season with the Cherries, having to wait until October to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then finding himself inconsistent of the starting XI.
His following season was equally disrupted, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for almost several months.
“I had a decent run at the end of last season, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” said he.
“That felt like almost another obstacle and it was shaping up as quite a terrible start for the first five months.”
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 Young Lions’ six games as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, forming a formidable understanding in the middle with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the senior side under the national coach.
And he has started the current campaign just as impressively for his club, playing in all matches to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“Representing the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my life,” the player stated earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I must keep progressing as a footballer, maintain my love for football, improving day on day, and hopefully I impress the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
