Back when Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager at the time predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
That statement proved to be something of an underestimation.
Today 22 years old and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the playmaker has earned his maiden summons to the full Three Lions squad.
His rise from non-league prodigy to possible international star is a proper blast from the past, a journey seldom seen in the modern game.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of becoming a professional football player, let alone featuring in the Premier League and playing for England as well,” the player stated previously.
“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have transformed completely for me and my loved ones.”
So in what way did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself here?
Learning in non-league
His path in football has not been 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 play for the club’s academy sides.
Before he turned 13, however, they decided to let him go. The Cherries gave Scott an option and he remained with them for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he chose to remain on Guernsey and turn out for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he explained.
“All I desired to relax at home with my mates at weekends because I missed nearly several years of doing that. To have that little bit of childhood back was a thing I really required.
“Building a bit of confidence by coming back and taking part in local football was huge for me. It was probably one of the most important things that got me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, Scott made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a second-half replacement in their Isthmian League fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could get him in the team because he’s that good,” manager the coach commented back then.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the manner he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the professional game
Championship side the Robins – owned by islander their owner – had been tracking his development after an impressive beginning in adult football and arranged a trial in late 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” said Scott. “The first day I joined the under-18s, the second day I was with the senior squad, which was a total shock.
“On the Wednesday I featured for his local side in London, returned home and on the Friday, I took the field for the youth team and scored a hat-trick. From that point a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
Within 18 months, still well before his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut versus the Hatters.
Scott made eighty-three league appearances for the club while still a teenager, frequently being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his adaptability and versatility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was their best player.
With his ability to carry the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and England playmaker Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he claimed the EFL Championship’s best young player award, was selected in the division’s best XI and was named the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I believe he’ll play for England and I’m sure he will progress to the pinnacle of the game,” his former manager, the player’s boss at the club, remarked previously.
Less than three months after, he joined Bournemouth for a reported fee of £25m.
Getting his big move
Scott endured a challenging first season with the Cherries, waiting until the autumn to make his Premier League debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then finding himself inconsistent of the team.
His second campaign was equally disrupted, this time by a surgery 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 broke my jaw,” explained he.
“It was almost another obstacle and it was shaping up as a pretty bad year for the first half.”
But he was then called up by England for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in get himself fit for the tournament.
He started five of the England U21s’ six games as they went on to win the tournament in the host nation, forming a formidable understanding in midfield 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 strongly for Bournemouth, featuring in all matches to help them to the top five in the standings.
“Representing the England senior team would be among the most special moments of my life,” the player stated recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying the game, improving every day, and with luck I impress the national coach and get my chance.”
