Back when Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
That prediction turned out to be something of an underestimation.
Today 22 years old and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the midfielder has earned his maiden summons to the senior England team.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to possible international star is a proper throwback, a story seldom seen in the modern era.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of making it as a professional football player, never mind featuring in the Premier League and representing the national team as well,” Scott said previously.
“It has been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have transformed drastically for myself and my family.”
So in what way did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up here?
Developing in non-league
Scott’s football journey has not been a conventional one.
He was part of over four years in the Saints’ youth system from the age of eight, skipping school each Friday to fly from his home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could attend training and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they released him. Bournemouth gave him an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, as he later admitted, his mind was not in it.
Instead, he chose to remain on the island and play for his local team.
“My form had dipped and traveling every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he explained.
“I just wanted to chill at home with my friends at weekends because I missed nearly four and a half years of that experience. Getting that little bit of youth again was a thing I definitely needed.
“To gain some self-belief by returning and playing island football was massive for me. That proved to be perhaps one of the most important things that led me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, the teenager became the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a 57th-minute replacement in their Isthmian League match at Phoenix Sports.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was trying to work 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 exceptional, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the professional game
Championship side Bristol City – chaired by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking Scott’s development after an promising beginning in adult football and gave him a trial in December 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled Scott. “The first day I trained with the youth team, the second day I trained with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.
“Midweek I played for his local side in London, returned home and on the Friday, I played for the youth team and scored a hat-trick. From that point a certainty for me to sign a deal.”
Within 18 months, even well before his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut against the Hatters.
He made eighty-three league appearances for the club while in his teens, often being deployed as a wide defender – and sometimes 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 up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and national team playmaker Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the second tier’s best young player award, was selected in the division’s team of the year and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I think he’ll play for England and I think he will progress to the pinnacle of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s manager at the club, stated previously.
Less than 90 days later, he joined the Cherries for a understood fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his big move
Scott endured a challenging debut campaign with the club, having to wait until October to make his top-flight debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then being in and out of the starting XI.
His following season was equally affected, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for nearly several months.
“I had a decent run at the end of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said Scott.
“It was almost another setback and the year was turning out to be quite a terrible year for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in regain fitness in time.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they claimed victory in the tournament in the host nation, forming a strong partnership in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has gone on to impress for the first team under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started this season just as strongly for Bournemouth, featuring in every game to guide them to fifth in the table.
“Representing the national team would be one of the proudest moments of my career,” the player said recently.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, maintain my love for the game, getting better day on day, and hopefully I impress the England manager and get my chance.”
