When Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
This prediction turned out to be something of an underestimation.
Now 22 years old and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his first summons to the full England squad.
His rise from non-league prodigy to possible England player is a true throwback, a journey seldom seen in the modern game.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was no chance of becoming a professional football player, let alone featuring in the Premier League and playing for the national team as well,” the player said in a recent interview.
“It’s been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and things have transformed completely for me and my family.”
But how did Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself here?
Learning in non-league
Scott’s path in football has been far from a conventional one.
He spent over four years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, skipping school each Friday to travel by air from his home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could attend training and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Before he turned 13, though, they decided to let him go. The Cherries gave him an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, as he later admitted, his mind was not in it.
Rather, he chose to remain on the island and play for his local team.
“My form had dipped and flying over weekly was starting to feel a bit too much,” he recalled.
“All I desired to chill 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 childhood back was something I really needed.
“Building a bit of confidence by coming back and playing local football was huge for me. That proved to be probably the most crucial things that led me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, the teenager became the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a 57th-minute substitute in their Isthmian League match at the opposition.
“I had sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could include him in the team because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss the coach stated back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the manner he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Championship side the Robins – chaired by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring his development after an impressive start in adult football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” said Scott. “Day one I trained with the youth team, the second day I was with the first team, which was a complete surprise.
“Midweek I played for his local side in the capital, returned home and on the Friday, I played for the youth team and netted a three goals. From that point a done deal for me to sign a contract.”
In just a year and a half, still well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut against the Hatters.
He made 83 league outings for the club while still a teenager, frequently being used as a wing-back – and occasionally in attack as a number 10 – such was his adaptability and flexibility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was their best player.
Thanks to his ability to carry the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team 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 selected in the league’s team of the year and was named Bristol City’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, stated previously.
Within three months after, he signed for Bournemouth for a understood transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his big move
Scott endured a challenging debut campaign with the club, having to wait until the autumn to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then finding himself inconsistent of the starting XI.
His following season was equally affected, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for nearly four months.
“I had 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 almost another setback and the year was turning out to be quite a terrible year for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by England for the U21 Euros – and managed to get himself fit for the tournament.
He started five of the England U21s’ six matches as they went on to win the tournament in the host nation, developing a formidable partnership in midfield with his teammate, who in turn has gone on to impress for the first team under the national coach.
And he has started this season equally as impressively for Bournemouth, playing in every game to help them to the top five in the standings.
“To play for the national team would be among the most special occasions of my life,” Scott stated earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to continue developing as a player, keep enjoying football, improving every day, and hopefully I impress the England manager and get my chance.”
