Back when Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager back then assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
This prediction proved to be a bit of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his maiden summons to the senior England team.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to potential England player is a proper throwback, a story rarely seen in the modern era.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was no chance of becoming a professional football player, never mind featuring in the top division and representing the national team as well,” the player stated in a recent interview.
“It’s been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and things have changed drastically for me and my loved ones.”
But in what way did Alex Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up here?
Learning in the lower tiers
Scott’s path in football has not been a conventional one.
He spent four and a half years in the Saints’ youth system starting at eight, skipping school every Friday to travel by air from his island home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could attend training and play for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to his 13th birthday, though, they released him. Bournemouth gave Scott an opportunity and he remained with them for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he chose to remain on the island and turn out for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and flying over every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he explained.
“All I desired to chill at home with my friends at the weekend because I had missed nearly several years of doing that. Getting that slice of childhood again was something I definitely required.
“To gain a bit of confidence by coming back and taking part in local football was massive for me. That proved to be probably one of the most important factors that got me to this point.”
At the age of 16, Scott made history as the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a second-half substitute in their league match at the opposition.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could include him in the side because his talent is obvious,” manager the coach commented at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Championship side Bristol City – chaired by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking his early progress after an impressive beginning in men’s football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” said the player. “The first day I trained with the youth team, the next day I was with the first team, which was a complete surprise.
“Midweek I played for his local side in London, returned home and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and netted a hat-trick. From that point a done deal for me to sign a deal.”
In just 18 months, even well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut against the Hatters.
Scott went on to make 83 league outings for the Robins while in his teens, frequently being used as a wing-back – and occasionally in attack as a number 10 – demonstrating his adaptability and flexibility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was their best player.
Thanks to his skill to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to City and national team playmaker Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he won the EFL Championship’s best young player honour, was chosen in the league’s best XI and was voted Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I think he will represent his country and I think he’ll go on to the top of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked last year.
Less than three months later, he joined the Cherries for a understood transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his big move
The midfielder experienced a difficult debut campaign with the club, having to wait until October to make his Premier League debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.
His second campaign was equally disrupted, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for nearly four months.
“There was a decent run at the end of last season, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” said Scott.
“It was almost another obstacle and it was turning out to be quite a terrible year for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in get himself fit for the tournament.
He went on to start 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 in turn has excelled for the first team under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started the current campaign equally as strongly for Bournemouth, playing in all matches to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“Representing the national team would be one of the proudest moments of my life,” 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, getting better day on day, and hopefully I impress the England manager and get my chance.”
