When Alex Scott made his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his manager back then assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
This statement proved to be a bit of an underestimation.
Now 22 years old and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the playmaker has earned his maiden summons to the full Three Lions team.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to potential international star is a proper blast from the past, a journey rarely seen in the modern game.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of making it as a pro footballer, let alone featuring in the Premier League and representing England as well,” the player stated previously.
“It has been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and things have changed drastically for me and my loved ones.”
So in what way did Alex Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself at this level?
Learning in the lower tiers
His path in football has been far from a typical one.
He spent over four years in the Saints’ youth system from the age of eight, skipping school each Friday to travel by air from his home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could train and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. The Cherries were willing to offer Scott an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, as he later admitted, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he opted to remain on Guernsey and turn out for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and flying over weekly was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to relax at home with my friends at the weekend because I missed nearly four and a half years of that experience. To have that little bit of youth back was something I really needed.
“To gain a bit of self-belief by returning and playing local football was huge for me. It was probably the most crucial things that got me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, Scott made history as the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a second-half replacement in their league match at Phoenix Sports.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could include him in the team because his talent is obvious,” manager Tony Vance commented back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the way he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Second-tier club Bristol City – owned by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring his early progress after an impressive 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 under-18s, the next day I was with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.
“Midweek I featured for his local side in London, returned home and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and netted a three goals. From that point a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
Within a year and a half, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut against Luton.
He made eighty-three league appearances for the club while in his teens, often being deployed as a wing-back – and sometimes further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his versatility and flexibility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was their best player.
Thanks to his skill to drive the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he won the EFL Championship’s best young player 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,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s manager at Ashton Gate, stated previously.
Less than 90 days later, he joined the Cherries for a understood transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his big move
The midfielder experienced a challenging debut campaign with the Cherries, waiting until October to earn his top-flight debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.
His following season was just as disrupted, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for almost four months.
“I had quite a good run at the end of last season, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained Scott.
“It was yet another setback and the year was turning out to be a pretty bad start for the first half.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the U21 Euros – and managed to regain fitness in time.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, forming a strong partnership in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who himself has gone on to impress for the senior side with the national coach.
And he has begun this season equally as strongly for Bournemouth, featuring in all matches to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“To play for the national team would be one of the proudest moments of my life,” Scott stated earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, improving every day, and with luck I impress the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
