Back when Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager back then predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
That prediction turned out to be a bit of an underestimation.
Now 22 years old and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the playmaker has earned his first call-up to the full England squad.
His rise from non-league prodigy to possible England player is a true throwback, a journey seldom seen in the modern game.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a pro footballer, let alone playing in the top division and representing the national team too,” Scott said in a recent interview.
“It has been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and things have changed completely for myself and my loved ones.”
But how did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself at this level?
Developing in the lower tiers
His path in football has been far from a typical one.
He was part of four and a half years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, leaving school early each Friday to travel by air from his island home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could train and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before his 13th birthday, though, they released him. The Cherries were willing to offer Scott an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, as he later admitted, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he opted to remain on the island and play for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and traveling weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he explained.
“All I desired to chill at my home with my mates at the weekend because I missed almost several years of that experience. Getting that little bit of childhood back was something I really needed.
“To gain some self-belief by coming back and taking part in local football was massive for me. That proved to be perhaps one of the most important things that got me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, the teenager became the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a 57th-minute substitute in their league match at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the team because his talent is obvious,” manager Tony Vance commented at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Second-tier club Bristol City – chaired by islander Steve Lansdown – had been tracking Scott’s early progress after an promising beginning in adult football and gave him a trial in late 2019.
“It was chaos,” said the player. “Day one I trained with the under-18s, the next day I trained with the first team, which was a complete surprise.
“On the Wednesday I played for his local side in the capital, travelled back and by Friday, I played for the youth team and scored a three goals. It was almost a done deal for me to sign a contract.”
Within a year and a half, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut versus Luton.
He made 83 league appearances for the Robins while still a teenager, often being used as a wide defender – and sometimes further forward as a number 10 – such was his versatility and versatility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was their best player.
With his ability to drive the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to City and England attacking midfielder Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the EFL Championship’s best young player award, was chosen in the division’s team of the year and was voted the club’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I believe he’ll play for England and I think he will progress to the pinnacle of the game,” his former manager, the player’s boss at the club, stated last year.
Less than three months after, he signed for Bournemouth for a reported transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his big move
The midfielder endured a challenging first season with the club, having to wait until the autumn to make his Premier League debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then being in and out of the starting XI.
His following season was equally affected, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for almost four months.
“I had quite a good run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained Scott.
“It was almost another obstacle and the year was shaping up as quite a terrible start for the first half.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in get himself fit in time.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they claimed victory in the tournament in Slovakia, forming a formidable understanding in midfield with his teammate, who himself has gone on to impress for the senior side under the national coach.
And he has started this season just as strongly for his club, playing in every game to help them to fifth in the standings.
“To play for the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my life,” Scott stated recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, maintain my love for the game, getting better day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the national coach and get my chance.”
