When the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager back then assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
That statement turned out to be something of an understatement.
Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his maiden summons to the full England team.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to possible international star is a proper blast from the past, a journey seldom told in the modern era.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was no chance of becoming a professional football player, never mind featuring in the Premier League and representing England too,” the player stated in a recent interview.
“It’s been a crazy five or six years of my life, and circumstances have changed drastically for me and my family.”
So how did Alex Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself at this level?
Learning in non-league
His path in football has not been a conventional one.
He was part of four and a half years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, skipping school each Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could train and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they released him. Bournemouth were willing to offer Scott an opportunity and he remained with them for a while, but, as he later admitted, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he chose to stay on the island and turn out for his hometown club.
“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 my home with my mates at the weekend because I had missed nearly several years of doing that. Getting that little bit of childhood back was something I definitely needed.
“Building some self-belief by returning and playing local football was massive for me. That proved to be probably 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 Guernsey’s history when he came on as a 57th-minute substitute in their league fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the side because his talent is obvious,” manager Tony Vance stated back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Second-tier club Bristol City – owned by Guernsey resident their owner – had been monitoring his early progress after an promising start in adult football and gave him a try-out in late 2019.
“It was chaos,” recalled Scott. “Day one I trained with the youth team, the second day I trained with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.
“On the Wednesday I featured for Guernsey FC in London, travelled back and on the Friday, I played for the youth team and netted a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
In just a year and a half, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut versus the Hatters.
Scott made eighty-three league appearances for the club while in his teens, frequently being used as a wide defender – and sometimes in attack as a number 10 – such was his adaptability and versatility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
With his skill to drive the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team attacking midfielder Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he won the EFL Championship’s best young player honour, was selected in the division’s best XI and was voted 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 sport,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s manager at the club, remarked last year.
Within 90 days later, he signed for the Cherries for a understood transfer fee of £25m.
Getting his big move
The midfielder experienced a difficult debut campaign with the club, having to wait until the autumn to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.
His second campaign was just as disrupted, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for nearly four months.
“There was quite a good run at the close of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.
“It was almost another setback and it was turning out to be a pretty bad year for the first half.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the U21 Euros – and managed to regain fitness in time.
He started five of the England U21s’ six games as they claimed victory in the competition in the host nation, forming a formidable understanding in midfield with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the first team with the national coach.
And he has started this season just as strongly for Bournemouth, featuring 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 stated earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I must continue developing as a player, keep enjoying football, improving every day, and hopefully I impress the England manager and get my chance.”
