When Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before just 55 spectators in 2019, his manager back then assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
That prediction turned out to be something of an understatement.
Today aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his first summons to the full England squad.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to possible international star is a true blast from the past, a story rarely seen in the modern era.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of making it as a pro footballer, never mind featuring in the top division and playing for England as well,” the player stated in a recent interview.
“It has been a crazy five or six years of my life, and things have transformed completely for me and my family.”
So how did Alex Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up at this level?
Learning in the lower tiers
Scott’s football journey has been far from a typical one.
He was part of four and a half years in Southampton’s academy setup starting at eight, skipping school each Friday to fly from his home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could attend training and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to he turned 13, though, they released him. The Cherries gave Scott an opportunity and he remained with them for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart was not in it.
Rather, he opted to remain on the island and turn out for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he explained.
“I just wanted to relax at home with my friends at the weekend because I had missed nearly several years of that experience. To have that slice of childhood back was something I really required.
“To gain some self-belief by returning and taking part in local football was huge for me. It was perhaps one of the most important factors that got me to this point.”
When he was just 16, Scott made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he came on as a second-half substitute in their Isthmian League match at the opposition.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the team because he’s that good,” manager the coach stated at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Second-tier club Bristol City – owned by islander their owner – had been tracking Scott’s development after an impressive start in men’s football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” recalled Scott. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the next day I was with the first team, which was a total surprise.
“On the Wednesday I featured for Guernsey FC in London, travelled back and by Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
In just 18 months, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut against the Hatters.
He went on to make eighty-three league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, often being used as a wide defender – and sometimes further forward as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his adaptability and versatility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was their best player.
Thanks to his ability 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 Manchester City and national team playmaker Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the second tier’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.
“Without question, I believe he will represent his country and I’m sure he’ll go on to the top of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s manager at the club, stated previously.
Within 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 Cherries, waiting until October to make his top-flight debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then finding himself inconsistent of the team.
His second campaign was just as disrupted, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for almost four months.
“I had quite a good run at the end of last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” said he.
“It was yet another obstacle and it was turning out to be a pretty bad year for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by England for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in get himself fit in time.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six games as they claimed victory in the tournament in Slovakia, forming a formidable partnership in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has gone on to impress for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started this season just as impressively for his club, playing in every game to guide them to the top five in the table.
“To play for the national team would be one of the proudest occasions of my life,” the player stated recently.
“It’s down to me, I must continue developing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, getting better every day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the national coach and get my chance.”
