Back when Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
That prediction proved to be something of an underestimation.
Today aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the playmaker has earned his maiden call-up to the full Three Lions squad.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to possible international star is a proper throwback, a journey seldom seen in the modern era.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of becoming a professional football player, let alone playing in the top division and playing for the national team as well,” the player stated in a recent interview.
“It has been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and things have changed completely for myself and my loved ones.”
So how did Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up at this level?
Developing in the lower tiers
Scott’s football journey has been far from a conventional one.
He spent over four 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 Guernsey to the mainland so he could attend training and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before he turned 13, however, they released him. The Cherries were willing to offer Scott an opportunity and he remained with them for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he chose to stay on Guernsey and play for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over weekly was starting to feel a bit too much,” he explained.
“All I desired to relax at my home with my mates at the weekend because I had missed nearly several years of doing that. Getting that little bit of youth back was a thing I definitely needed.
“Building a bit of self-belief by returning and playing local football was massive for me. That proved to be perhaps one of the most important things that led me to this point.”
At the age of 16, Scott made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he was introduced as a second-half substitute in their Isthmian League match at the opposition.
“I had sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could include him in the side because he’s that good,” manager Tony Vance commented back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the way he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Second-tier club Bristol City – owned by islander their owner – had been monitoring Scott’s early progress after an impressive start in adult football and gave him a trial in December 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” recalled Scott. “Day one I trained with the youth team, the next day I was with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.
“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in London, travelled back and by Friday, I played for the youth team and scored a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to sign a contract.”
Within a year and a half, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut versus Luton.
He went on to make 83 league outings for the Robins while still a teenager, often being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – demonstrating his adaptability and versatility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was their best player.
With his ability to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and national team playmaker Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he won the EFL Championship’s best young player honour, was selected in the league’s best XI and was voted Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I think he will represent his country and I’m sure he’ll go on to the top of the sport,” his former manager, Scott’s boss at the club, remarked previously.
Less than three months later, he signed for the Cherries for a understood transfer fee of £25m.
Getting his big move
The midfielder endured a challenging debut campaign with the Cherries, waiting until the autumn to earn his Premier League debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then finding himself in and out of the starting XI.
His following season was just as disrupted, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for nearly several months.
“I had a decent run at the close of last season, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained Scott.
“That felt like almost another setback and the year was turning out to be a pretty bad year for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to get himself fit in time.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they went on to win the competition in the host nation, forming a strong understanding in the middle with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started this season just as strongly for Bournemouth, featuring in all matches to help them to the top five in the table.
“To play for the national team would be one of the proudest moments of my career,” Scott said earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I must continue developing as a player, keep enjoying the game, improving day on day, and with luck I impress the national coach and get my chance.”
