When Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his coach at the time assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
This prediction turned out to be a bit of an underestimation.
Today 22 years old and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has earned his maiden call-up to the senior England squad.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to potential international star is a true blast from the past, a journey rarely told in the modern game.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of becoming a professional football player, never mind playing in the Premier League and playing for the national team too,” the player stated previously.
“It’s been a crazy five or six years of my life, and things have changed drastically for me and my loved ones.”
So how did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself here?
Developing in non-league
Scott’s path in football has been far from a conventional one.
He spent four and a half years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, leaving school early every Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could train and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before he turned 13, however, they released him. The Cherries were willing to offer Scott an opportunity and he remained with them for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart was not in it.
Instead, he opted to stay on the island and turn out for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over weekly was becoming a bit too much,” he recalled.
“All I desired to relax at my home with my mates at the weekend because I had missed nearly several years of doing that. Getting that little bit of youth back was something I definitely required.
“Building a bit of confidence by coming back and taking part in local football was huge for me. That proved to be perhaps one of the most important things that got me to this point.”
When he was just 16, the teenager made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he came on as a second-half replacement in their league fixture at the opposition.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could get him in the team because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss the coach commented at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the way he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the professional game
Second-tier club Bristol City – owned by Guernsey resident their owner – had been monitoring Scott’s development after an impressive beginning in adult football and gave him a try-out in late 2019.
“It was hectic,” said the player. “The first day I trained with the youth team, the next 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 by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a three goals. It was almost a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
Within 18 months, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut against the Hatters.
Scott made 83 league outings for the Robins while still a teenager, frequently being used as a wide defender – and occasionally in attack as a number 10 – demonstrating his versatility and flexibility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
With his ability to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and England playmaker Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he won the EFL Championship’s best young player award, was selected in the league’s best XI and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I believe he will represent England and I’m sure he will progress to the pinnacle of the game,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s manager at the club, stated last year.
Less than 90 days later, he signed for the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of £25m.
Securing his big move
The midfielder endured a difficult debut campaign with the Cherries, having to wait until October to earn his Premier League debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then being in and out of the team.
His second campaign was equally disrupted, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for almost four months.
“There was quite a good run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said he.
“That felt like almost another setback and it 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 managed to regain fitness in time.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six matches 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 begun the current campaign equally as strongly for his club, playing in every game to help them to fifth in the standings.
“Representing the national team would be one of the proudest moments of my life,” the player said earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I must keep progressing as a player, keep enjoying the game, improving day on day, and with luck I catch the eye of the national coach and get my chance.”
