When the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his coach at the time predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
That statement turned out to be a bit of an underestimation.
Today aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has earned his maiden call-up to the full Three Lions squad.
His rise from non-league prodigy to possible England player is a proper blast from the past, a journey seldom told in the modern game.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of making it as a pro footballer, let alone playing in the Premier League and playing for England as well,” the player stated in a recent interview.
“It has been a crazy five or six years of my life, and things have transformed completely for me and my family.”
So in what way did Alex Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself at this level?
Developing in non-league
Scott’s path in football has been far from a typical one.
He was part of four and a half years in the Saints’ academy setup from the age of eight, skipping school each Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could train and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth gave him an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, as he later admitted, his heart was not in it.
Rather, he opted to remain on the island and play for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and flying over weekly was starting to feel overwhelming,” he explained.
“I just wanted to relax at my home with my mates at weekends because I missed nearly four and a half years of that experience. Getting that little bit of youth again was a thing I really required.
“Building a bit of self-belief 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 to this point.”
At the age of 16, the teenager made history as the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a second-half replacement in their Isthmian League match at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having 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 commented back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the manner he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Second-tier club the Robins – owned by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring Scott’s development after an promising beginning in men’s football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.
“It was hectic,” recalled the player. “Day one I joined the youth team, the next day I trained with the first team, which was a total shock.
“On the Wednesday I featured for his local side in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a hat-trick. It was almost a done deal for me to sign a deal.”
Within a year and a half, still well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut versus the Hatters.
Scott made eighty-three league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, frequently being deployed as a wide defender – and sometimes further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his adaptability and flexibility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was their best player.
With his skill to carry the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he claimed the second tier’s best young player award, was selected in the division’s team of the year and was voted the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I think he’ll play for his country and I think he will progress to the pinnacle of the game,” his former manager, the player’s boss at the club, stated last year.
Within 90 days after, he joined Bournemouth for a reported fee of £25m.
Getting his major transfer
The midfielder experienced a difficult first season with the Cherries, waiting until October to earn his top-flight debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then finding himself in and out of the starting XI.
His second campaign was equally disrupted, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for almost four months.
“There was quite a good run at the close of last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” said he.
“That felt like yet another setback and the year was shaping up as a pretty bad 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 in time.
He started five of the England U21s’ six games as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, developing a strong partnership in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who himself has gone on to impress for the senior side with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started the current campaign just as strongly for his club, featuring in all matches to guide them to the top five in the table.
“To play for the national team would be among the most special moments of my life,” the player stated recently.
“It’s down to me, I must keep progressing as a footballer, maintain my love for the game, getting better day on day, and with luck I catch the eye of the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
