Back when Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before just 55 spectators in 2019, his manager back then assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
This statement proved to be a bit of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has just received his maiden call-up to the full England squad.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to potential England player is a true throwback, a story seldom told in the modern game.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of becoming a professional football player, let alone featuring in the Premier League and representing the national team as well,” the player said previously.
“It has been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have changed drastically for me and my family.”
But in what way did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up at this level?
Developing in non-league
His football journey has been far from a typical one.
He was part of over four years in Southampton’s youth system starting at eight, leaving school early each Friday to fly from his home on Guernsey 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. Bournemouth gave Scott an opportunity and he remained with them for a time, but, as he later admitted, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he opted to stay on Guernsey and turn out for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over every week was becoming a bit too much,” he explained.
“I just wanted to relax at my home with my mates at weekends because I missed nearly four and a half years of doing that. Getting that little bit of childhood back was something I really needed.
“Building some self-belief by returning and taking part in local football was massive for me. That proved to be probably one of the most important things that led me to this point.”
When he was just 16, the teenager made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a 57th-minute substitute in their league fixture at the opposition.
“I had sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could get him in the side because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss the coach commented at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the way he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the professional game
Championship side Bristol City – owned by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring his development after an promising start in men’s football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled the player. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the next day I trained with the senior squad, which was a total shock.
“Midweek I featured for his local side in the capital, travelled back and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a hat-trick. It was almost a done deal for me to sign a contract.”
Within a year and a half, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut versus the Hatters.
He made 83 league outings for the Robins while in his teens, often being deployed as a wide defender – and sometimes in attack as a attacking midfielder – such was his versatility and flexibility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his ability to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to City and England attacking midfielder Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he won the second tier’s young player of the season award, was chosen in the division’s team of the year and was voted Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I think he’ll play for England and I’m sure he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.
Within 90 days after, he signed for the Cherries for a reported fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his major transfer
Scott experienced a challenging debut campaign with the Cherries, waiting until October to make his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then being inconsistent of the team.
His second campaign was equally disrupted, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for almost several months.
“I had a decent run at the end of last season, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said Scott.
“That felt like yet another setback and it 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 regain fitness in time.
He started five of the England U21s’ six matches as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, forming a strong partnership in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has gone on to impress for the first team with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started the current campaign just as impressively for Bournemouth, featuring in every game to guide them to fifth in the table.
“Representing the England senior team would be among the most special occasions of my life,” Scott stated recently.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, improving day on day, and hopefully I impress the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
