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 coach back then predicted, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
That statement turned out to be a bit of an understatement.
Now 22 years old and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the midfielder has just received his maiden call-up to the full England team.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to potential international star is a true throwback, a story seldom seen in the modern game.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of making it as a pro footballer, let alone featuring in the Premier League and representing the national team as well,” Scott said previously.
“It has been a incredible five or six years of my life, and things have transformed completely for myself and my loved ones.”
So how did Alex Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself at this level?
Learning in the lower tiers
Scott’s path in football has been far from a conventional one.
He spent four and a half years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, skipping school each Friday to fly from his home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could train and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to his 13th birthday, though, they decided to let him go. The Cherries gave Scott an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, as he later admitted, his mind was not in it.
Instead, he opted to remain on the island and turn out for his local team.
“My form had dipped and traveling weekly was becoming a bit too much,” he explained.
“All I desired to relax at home with my friends at the weekend because I had missed nearly four and a half years of that experience. Getting that slice of youth again was a thing I definitely needed.
“Building some self-belief by coming back and playing island football was huge for me. That proved to be probably the most crucial factors that led me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, the teenager made history as the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a second-half replacement in their league fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I had sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the team because he’s that good,” manager the coach stated back then.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the way he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Championship side Bristol City – chaired by Guernsey resident their owner – had been monitoring his development after an impressive start in adult football and gave him a trial in late 2019.
“It was hectic,” said the player. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the second day I was with the first team, which was a complete shock.
“Midweek I played for his local side in the capital, travelled back and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a three goals. From that point a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
Within a year and a half, even well before his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut against the Hatters.
He went on to make eighty-three league outings for the Robins while in his teens, frequently being deployed as a wing-back – and occasionally in attack as a attacking midfielder – such was his adaptability and flexibility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his skill to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to City and England attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he won the second tier’s young player of the season award, was chosen in the division’s best XI and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I think he’ll play for his country and I think he will progress to the top of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.
Within three months later, he joined the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of £25m.
Securing his major transfer
The midfielder endured a challenging first season with the club, having to wait until October to earn 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 several months.
“There was quite a good run at the close of last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained he.
“That felt like almost another obstacle and the year was turning out to be quite a terrible year for the first half.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the U21 Euros – and managed to regain fitness for the tournament.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they claimed victory in the competition in Slovakia, developing a formidable partnership in the middle with his teammate, who himself has gone on to impress for the first team under the national coach.
And he has started this season just as impressively for Bournemouth, featuring in every game to guide them to fifth in the table.
“Representing the England senior team would be among the most special occasions of my career,” Scott stated recently.
“It’s down to me, I must continue developing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, improving day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the national coach and get my chance.”
