Back when Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for 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 boy.”
This statement turned out to be a bit of an underestimation.
Today aged 22 and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the playmaker has earned his maiden call-up to the full England team.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to possible international star is a proper blast from the past, a journey rarely seen in the modern game.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of becoming a pro footballer, never mind featuring in the Premier League and playing for England as well,” Scott stated in a recent interview.
“It has been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for myself and my family.”
But how did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself at this level?
Learning in the lower tiers
His football journey has been far from a typical one.
He was part of four and a half years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, leaving school early each Friday to travel by air from his island home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could attend training and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before he turned 13, though, they released him. The Cherries were willing to offer him an opportunity and he remained with them for a time, but, as he later admitted, his heart was not in it.
Instead, he chose to stay on Guernsey and play for his local team.
“My form had dipped and flying over every week was starting to feel a bit too much,” he recalled.
“All I desired to relax at home with my friends at the weekend because I had missed nearly four and a half years of doing that. To have that little bit of youth back was something I really required.
“Building some self-belief by returning and taking part in local football was huge for me. That proved to be probably the most crucial factors that got me to this point.”
When he was just 16, the teenager became the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he was introduced as a 57th-minute replacement in their Isthmian League fixture at the opposition.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could get him in the team because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance stated at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the manner he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Second-tier club Bristol City – owned by islander their owner – had been tracking his development after an promising beginning in men’s football and arranged a trial in late 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” said Scott. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the second day I was with the senior squad, which was a total surprise.
“On the Wednesday I featured for his local side in London, travelled back and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a three goals. It was almost a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
Within a year and a half, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut versus Luton.
Scott went on to make 83 league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, frequently being used as a wide defender – and sometimes further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his versatility and versatility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was their best player.
With his skill to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks 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 season he claimed the second tier’s young player of the season honour, was selected in the division’s team of the year and was named the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I think he’ll play for his country and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the game,” his former manager, the player’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated previously.
Less than three months later, he joined Bournemouth for a reported transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his major transfer
Scott endured a challenging first season with the club, waiting until October to make his Premier League debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then finding himself inconsistent of the team.
His following season was equally affected, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for nearly four months.
“There was a decent run at the end of last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained he.
“It was yet another setback and it 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 regain fitness for the tournament.
He started five of the England U21s’ six games as they claimed victory in the competition in Slovakia, developing a formidable understanding in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has gone on to impress for the first team with the national coach.
And he has started the current campaign equally as impressively for his club, playing in every game to help them to the top five in the table.
“Representing the England senior team would be among the most special moments of my career,” the player said earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for football, improving every day, and hopefully I impress the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
