Back when Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
This statement proved to be a bit of an understatement.
Now aged 22 and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the midfielder has earned his first call-up to the full Three Lions squad.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to potential England player is a proper blast from the past, a journey rarely told in the modern era.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a pro footballer, let alone playing in the Premier League and playing for the national team as well,” Scott stated previously.
“It has been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and things have changed completely for me and my loved ones.”
But how did Alex Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up here?
Developing in the lower tiers
His path in football has not been 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 every Friday to fly from his home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could attend training and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. The Cherries were willing to offer him 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 play for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and traveling weekly was starting to feel a bit too much,” he explained.
“All I desired to chill at home with my mates at weekends because I had missed almost four and a half years of doing that. To have that slice of childhood again was something I really required.
“To gain a bit of confidence by coming back and playing island football was massive for me. That proved to be probably one of the most important things that led me to this point.”
At the age of 16, the teenager became the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he was introduced as a 57th-minute replacement in their league fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could include him in the team because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss the coach stated back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the way he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the professional game
Championship side the Robins – owned by Guernsey resident their owner – had been monitoring Scott’s early progress after an impressive beginning in adult football and arranged a trial in December 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” said the player. “The first day I trained with the under-18s, the second day I trained with the first team, which was a complete shock.
“Midweek I featured for Guernsey FC in the capital, travelled back and on the Friday, I played for the youth team and netted a hat-trick. It was almost a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
Within 18 months, even well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut versus Luton.
He made 83 league outings for the Robins while in his teens, frequently being deployed as a wing-back – and sometimes further forward as a number 10 – demonstrating his adaptability and versatility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his skill to carry the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to City and England attacking midfielder Grealish.
At the end 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 voted Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I believe he will represent his country and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s manager at the club, stated previously.
Less than 90 days after, he signed for the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his major transfer
The midfielder experienced a challenging debut campaign with the Cherries, having to wait until the autumn to make his top-flight debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then finding himself in and out of the team.
His following season was just as disrupted, 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 good to have, then I broke my jaw,” said he.
“It was yet another obstacle and it was turning out to be a pretty bad year for the first half.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to get himself fit in time.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they went on to win the competition in the host nation, developing a strong partnership in midfield with his teammate, who himself has gone on to impress for the senior side with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun the current campaign just as strongly for Bournemouth, featuring in all matches to guide them to fifth in the standings.
“To play for the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my life,” the player stated earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a footballer, maintain my love for the game, improving day on day, and with luck I impress the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
