When the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
That statement proved to be a bit of an understatement.
Today aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has just received his first call-up to the full England team.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to potential international star is a true blast from the past, a journey seldom seen in the modern era.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was no chance of making it as a pro footballer, let alone featuring in the top division and playing for England too,” the player said in a recent interview.
“It’s been a crazy five or six years of my life, and circumstances have transformed drastically for myself and my loved ones.”
So in what way did Alex Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up at this level?
Learning in the lower tiers
Scott’s football journey has been far from a typical one.
He was part of four and a half years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, skipping school each Friday to travel by air from his home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could attend training and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth gave him an option and he remained with them for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he chose to stay on Guernsey and play for his local team.
“My form had dipped and flying over weekly was starting to feel a bit too much,” he explained.
“I just wanted to chill at my home with my friends at the weekend because I had missed almost four and a half years of that experience. Getting that little bit of youth again was a thing I really required.
“To gain some confidence by coming back and taking part in island football was huge for me. It was probably one of the most important things that got 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 second-half replacement in their league match at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the side because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance stated at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the manner he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Championship side Bristol City – chaired by islander their owner – had been monitoring his early progress after an impressive beginning in adult football and gave him a try-out in late 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” said the player. “The first day I trained with the under-18s, the next day I trained with the senior squad, which was a total surprise.
“On the Wednesday I featured for Guernsey FC in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and scored a three goals. From that point a certainty for me to sign a contract.”
In just 18 months, even well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut versus Luton.
He went on to make eighty-three league appearances for the club while still a teenager, often being used as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his adaptability and versatility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was their best player.
With his skill to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and England playmaker Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he won the EFL Championship’s best young player award, was selected in the league’s best XI and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I think he’ll play for England and I’m sure he will progress to the pinnacle of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated last year.
Less than three months later, he joined the Cherries for a understood fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his big move
Scott experienced a difficult first season with the Cherries, having to wait until the autumn to make his top-flight debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then finding himself in and out of the starting XI.
His following season was equally disrupted, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for almost four months.
“There was a decent run at the end of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” said Scott.
“That felt like almost another obstacle and it was turning out to be a pretty bad start for the first half.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to regain fitness in time.
He started five of the England U21s’ six matches as they claimed victory in the competition in the host nation, developing a strong understanding in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who himself has gone on to impress for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun this season equally as impressively for Bournemouth, playing in every game to guide them to fifth in the standings.
“Representing the England senior team would be among the most special moments of my career,” Scott stated earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I must keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for the game, getting better every day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
