When Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager back then predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
This statement turned out to be something of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the midfielder has just received his maiden call-up to the full Three Lions team.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to potential international star is a proper throwback, a story rarely seen in the modern game.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was no chance of becoming a professional football player, let alone playing in the Premier League and playing for the national team as well,” the player said in a recent interview.
“It has been a incredible five or six years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for me and my family.”
But how did Alex Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up here?
Developing in the lower tiers
Scott’s football journey has not been a typical one.
He was part of over four years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, leaving school early each Friday to travel by air from his home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could train and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to his 13th birthday, though, they released him. The Cherries gave Scott an option and he remained with them for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind was not in it.
Instead, he chose to stay on Guernsey and turn out for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling weekly was becoming a bit too much,” he explained.
“All I desired to chill at home with my mates at the weekend because I missed nearly several years of doing that. Getting that little bit of childhood again was something I definitely required.
“To gain a bit of self-belief by returning and playing island football was massive for me. It was perhaps one of the most important factors that led me to this point.”
At the age of 16, Scott became the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he was introduced as a 57th-minute substitute in their Isthmian League match at the opposition.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could get him in the team because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss the coach stated back then.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the way he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Second-tier club the Robins – chaired by islander their owner – had been tracking his early progress after an promising beginning in men’s football and arranged a trial in late 2019.
“It was hectic,” recalled the player. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the next day I was with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.
“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, returned home and on the Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
Within 18 months, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut versus the Hatters.
He made 83 league appearances for the club while still a teenager, frequently being used as a wide defender – and occasionally in attack as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his versatility and flexibility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was their best player.
Thanks to his ability to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to City and England attacking midfielder Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the second tier’s best young player honour, was chosen in the division’s team of the year and was named the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I believe he will represent England and I think he will progress to the pinnacle of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated last year.
Within three months later, he signed for the Cherries for a reported fee of £25m.
Getting his big move
The midfielder endured a difficult debut campaign with the Cherries, having to wait until the autumn to make his Premier League debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.
His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for nearly four months.
“I had a decent run at the end of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained he.
“It was almost another setback and the year was turning out to be a pretty bad year for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to get himself fit for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six games as they claimed victory in the tournament in the host nation, forming a formidable partnership in the middle with his teammate, who in turn has gone on to impress for the senior side with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started this season equally as strongly for his club, featuring in all matches to help them to the top five in the table.
“To play for the national team would be one of the proudest occasions of my career,” Scott stated earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, 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.”
