When Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before just 55 fans in 2019, his coach at the time assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
That prediction proved to be something of an understatement.
Today 22 years old and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the playmaker has earned his maiden summons to the full England team.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to possible England player is a true throwback, a story seldom told in the modern game.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was no chance of becoming a professional football player, never mind featuring in the top division and representing England as well,” the player stated in a recent interview.
“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for me and my family.”
So in what way did Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself here?
Learning in the lower tiers
Scott’s football journey has been far from a typical one.
He spent over four years in the Saints’ youth system starting at eight, skipping school each Friday to travel by air from his home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could train and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Before he turned 13, however, they released him. Bournemouth were willing to offer Scott an opportunity and he remained with them for a time, but, as he later admitted, his mind was not in it.
Instead, he opted to stay on Guernsey and turn out for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling every week was becoming a bit too much,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to chill at home with my mates at the weekend because I missed nearly four and a half years of doing that. To have that slice of youth again was something I definitely required.
“To gain a bit of self-belief by coming back and playing island football was massive for me. That proved to be perhaps the most crucial factors that got me to this point.”
When he was just 16, Scott made history as the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a 57th-minute substitute in their league fixture at the opposition.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the side because his talent is obvious,” manager Tony Vance stated back then.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the way he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Championship side Bristol City – owned by islander their owner – had been monitoring Scott’s early progress after an promising start in adult football and gave him a try-out in late 2019.
“It was chaos,” recalled Scott. “Day one I joined the youth team, the second day I trained with the first team, which was a total surprise.
“Midweek I featured for Guernsey FC in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and netted a hat-trick. From that point a certainty for me to sign a contract.”
In just 18 months, still well before his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut against the Hatters.
Scott made 83 league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, frequently being deployed as a wing-back – and sometimes in attack as a number 10 – demonstrating his adaptability and versatility. Even at that young age 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 rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to City and England attacking midfielder Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he claimed the second tier’s young player of the season honour, was chosen in the league’s best XI and was named Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I think he’ll play for England and I’m sure he’ll go on to the top of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s manager at Ashton Gate, stated last year.
Less than three months after, he signed for Bournemouth for a reported fee of £25m.
Getting his major transfer
Scott endured a difficult first season with the club, having to wait until the autumn to make his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then finding himself in and out of the starting XI.
His following season was just as affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for almost four months.
“There was quite a good run at the end of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said Scott.
“That felt like almost another setback and the year was shaping up as quite a terrible year for the first half.”
But he was then selected by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in regain fitness for the tournament.
He started five of the England U21s’ six matches as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, developing a formidable understanding in the middle with his teammate, who in turn has gone on to impress for the senior side under the national coach.
And he has started the current campaign just as impressively for his club, featuring in all matches to guide them to the top five in the table.
“Representing the national team would be among the most special moments of my life,” the player said recently.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to keep progressing as a player, keep enjoying football, improving every day, and with luck I impress the England manager and get my chance.”
