Back when Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before just 55 spectators in 2019, his coach at the time predicted, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
This statement proved to be a bit of an underestimation.
Today aged 22 and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the midfielder has earned his first summons to the full England team.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to possible international star is a true blast from the past, a journey rarely seen in the modern game.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was no chance of becoming a professional football player, never mind featuring in the Premier League and playing for the national team too,” the player stated previously.
“It’s been a crazy five or six years of my life, and things have changed drastically for me and my family.”
So in what way did Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself here?
Learning in non-league
Scott’s football journey has not been a conventional one.
He was part of four and a half years in Southampton’s youth system from the age of eight, skipping school every 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, however, they decided to let him go. The Cherries were willing to offer him an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he chose to stay on Guernsey and turn out for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over weekly was starting to feel a bit too much,” he explained.
“I just wanted to chill at home with my mates at weekends because I missed nearly several years of doing that. Getting that little bit of youth back was a thing I really needed.
“Building some self-belief by returning and taking part in island football was massive for me. That proved to be perhaps one of the most important factors that got me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, the teenager made history as the youngest player in the club’s records when he was introduced as a second-half substitute in their league fixture at the opposition.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the team because he’s that good,” manager Tony Vance stated at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the way he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Championship side the Robins – chaired by islander Steve Lansdown – had been tracking his 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 Scott. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the second day I trained with the senior squad, which was a complete shock.
“Midweek I played for his local side in the capital, travelled back and on the Friday, I played for the youth team and scored a hat-trick. It was almost a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
In just 18 months, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut against the Hatters.
He made eighty-three league outings for the Robins while in his teens, frequently being deployed as a wing-back – and sometimes in attack as a number 10 – demonstrating his versatility and flexibility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was their best player.
With his skill to drive the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned 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 second tier’s best young player award, was chosen in the league’s team of the year and was voted the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I believe he’ll play for England and I think he will progress to the pinnacle of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at the club, remarked previously.
Less than three months later, he joined Bournemouth for a reported fee of £25m.
Getting his big move
The midfielder endured a challenging first season with the Cherries, waiting until the autumn to make his top-flight debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then being in and out of the starting XI.
His following season was just as affected, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for nearly several months.
“I had a decent run at the close of last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.
“It was almost another setback and the year was shaping up as quite a terrible year for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by England for the U21 Euros – and managed to get himself fit for the tournament.
He started five of the England U21s’ six matches as they claimed victory in the competition in Slovakia, developing a strong understanding in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has excelled for the first team under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun the current campaign just as impressively for his club, featuring in every game to help them to the top five in the standings.
“Representing the England senior team would be among the most special occasions of my career,” the player stated earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a footballer, maintain my love for the game, getting better day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
