Back when Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports before just 55 fans in 2019, his coach at the time predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
This statement proved to be something of an understatement.
Today 22 years old and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the playmaker has earned his first call-up to the full England squad.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to possible England player is a proper throwback, a story rarely told in the modern era.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was no chance of becoming a professional football player, never mind playing in the Premier League and playing for England as well,” the player stated previously.
“It has been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and things have changed drastically for myself and my family.”
So in what way did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up at this level?
Developing in the lower tiers
Scott’s football journey has not been a conventional one.
He was part of over four years in Southampton’s youth system starting at eight, skipping school each Friday to travel by air from his island home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could train and play for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to he turned 13, however, they decided to let him go. The Cherries gave Scott an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, as he later admitted, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he opted to remain on the island and play for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling every week was becoming overwhelming,” he recalled.
“All I desired to chill at my home with my friends at the weekend because I had missed nearly several years of doing that. To have that slice of youth back was a thing I definitely required.
“To gain some confidence by coming back and playing local football was massive for me. It was probably the most crucial things that led me to this point.”
At the age of 16, Scott became the youngest player in the club’s records when he was introduced as a second-half substitute in their Isthmian League fixture at the opposition.
“I had sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the side because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss the coach commented back then.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the manner he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Second-tier club the Robins – chaired by islander their owner – had been tracking Scott’s development after an impressive start in adult football and gave him a trial in late 2019.
“It was chaos,” said the player. “Day one I trained with the under-18s, the second day I trained with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.
“Midweek I featured for Guernsey FC in London, travelled back and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a hat-trick. From that point a done deal for me to sign a contract.”
Within a year and a half, even well before his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut versus Luton.
He made 83 league appearances for the club while still a teenager, frequently being deployed as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his versatility 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 moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he won the EFL Championship’s young player of the season honour, was chosen in the league’s best XI and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I think he’ll play for England and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the sport,” his former manager, the player’s manager at the club, remarked previously.
Within 90 days later, he signed for Bournemouth for a understood fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his big move
Scott experienced a difficult debut campaign with the club, having to wait until the autumn to earn his top-flight debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then being inconsistent of the team.
His following season was equally disrupted, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for almost four months.
“I had a decent run at the end of last season, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said Scott.
“It was yet another obstacle and it was turning out to be quite a terrible start for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in get himself fit for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six games as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, forming a strong understanding in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has gone on to impress for the first team with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun the current campaign just as strongly for Bournemouth, playing in all matches to guide them to the top five in the table.
“Representing the England senior team would be among the most special moments of my career,” Scott said recently.
“It’s down to me, I must continue developing as a player, maintain my love for football, improving every day, and with luck I impress the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
