Back when Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
This statement turned out to be a bit of an understatement.
Today aged 22 and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the playmaker has earned his maiden summons to the full Three Lions squad.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to potential England player is a true blast from the past, a story rarely seen in the modern game.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of becoming a pro footballer, let alone playing in the top division and playing for England too,” the player said in a recent interview.
“It’s been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and things have changed completely for me and my loved ones.”
But how did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself here?
Learning in non-league
Scott’s football journey has been far from a typical one.
He was part of over four years in the Saints’ youth system from the age of eight, leaving school early every Friday to fly from his home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could attend training and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Before he turned 13, however, they released him. The Cherries gave him an option and he remained with them for a time, but, as he later admitted, his mind was not in it.
Instead, he chose to stay on the island and turn out for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling weekly was becoming a bit too much,” he explained.
“I just wanted to chill at my home with my mates at the weekend because I missed nearly four and a half years of that experience. Getting that slice of youth again was something I really needed.
“To gain a bit of confidence by coming back and playing local football was huge for me. That proved to be perhaps the most crucial factors that led me to this point.”
At the age of 16, Scott became the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a second-half replacement in their league fixture at the opposition.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could get him in the team because his talent is obvious,” manager Tony Vance stated at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the way he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Championship side the Robins – chaired by Guernsey resident their owner – had been monitoring his development after an promising beginning in men’s football and arranged a trial in December 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled the player. “The first day I joined the youth team, the second day I was with the first team, which was a complete shock.
“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, returned home and on the Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a hat-trick. From that point a certainty for me to sign a contract.”
In just 18 months, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut against the Hatters.
Scott made 83 league outings for the Robins while still a teenager, often being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally in attack as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his versatility and flexibility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his ability to drive the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and England playmaker Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he won the EFL Championship’s best young player honour, was selected in the league’s team of the year and was voted the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I think he’ll play for his country and I’m sure he’ll go on to the top of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s manager at the club, stated previously.
Within three months later, he signed for the Cherries for a understood transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his major transfer
The midfielder endured a challenging first season with the Cherries, waiting until October to make his top-flight debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then being in and out of the team.
His following season was equally affected, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for almost several months.
“There was a decent run at the close of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained he.
“It was almost another setback and it was shaping up as quite a terrible year for the first half.”
But he was then selected by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in regain fitness in time.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six games as they went on to win the tournament in the host nation, forming a formidable understanding in midfield with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the first team under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started this season equally as impressively for Bournemouth, featuring in all matches to guide them to fifth in the table.
“Representing the England senior team would be among the most special occasions of my life,” Scott said earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to continue developing as a player, keep enjoying the game, improving day on day, and hopefully I impress the England manager and get my chance.”
