When Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before just 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
This statement turned out to be something of an understatement.
Now 22 years old and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the playmaker has just received his maiden call-up to the full Three Lions squad.
His rise from non-league prodigy to possible international star is a true throwback, a journey seldom told in the modern game.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of making it as a professional football player, never mind playing in the Premier League and representing the national team too,” Scott said in a recent interview.
“It’s been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for myself and my family.”
So in what way did Alex Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up here?
Learning in the lower tiers
Scott’s 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 island home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could train and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they released him. Bournemouth gave Scott an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, as he later admitted, his mind was not in it.
Instead, he opted to remain on Guernsey and turn out for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling weekly was starting to feel overwhelming,” he explained.
“I just wanted to chill at my home with my mates at the weekend because I had missed nearly four and a half years of that experience. Getting that slice of childhood again was something I really required.
“Building a bit of confidence by coming back and playing island football was huge for me. That proved to be perhaps the most crucial factors that got me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, Scott made history as the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a second-half replacement in their league fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could include him in the side because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss the coach commented back then.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the way he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the professional game
Second-tier club Bristol City – chaired by Guernsey resident their owner – had been monitoring Scott’s early progress after an promising start in men’s football and arranged a try-out in late 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” recalled the player. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the next day I was with the senior squad, which was a total surprise.
“Midweek I featured for Guernsey FC in the capital, returned home and on the Friday, I played for the youth team and scored a three goals. From that point a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
Within a year and a half, still well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut against Luton.
Scott made 83 league appearances for the club while in his teens, often being used as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his adaptability and versatility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was their best player.
With his ability to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and England attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he claimed the EFL Championship’s best young player honour, was selected in the division’s best XI and was voted Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I believe he will represent his country and I’m sure he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the game,” his former manager, Scott’s boss at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.
Less than three months after, he joined Bournemouth for a reported fee of £25m.
Getting his major transfer
Scott endured a difficult first season with the club, having to wait until October to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then being inconsistent of the team.
His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for nearly several months.
“There was a decent run at the close of last season, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained he.
“It was yet another obstacle and it was turning out to be a pretty bad start for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in get himself fit in time.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six games as they claimed victory in the tournament in the host nation, developing a formidable understanding in the middle with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the senior side under the national coach.
And he has started this season just as strongly for Bournemouth, featuring in every game to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“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, maintain my love for the game, improving day on day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”
