Back when Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports in front of just 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.
Now 22 years old and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the playmaker has earned his maiden call-up to the full England team.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to potential England player is a true throwback, a journey rarely told in the modern game.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was no chance of making it as a pro footballer, let alone playing in the Premier League and representing the national team as well,” the player stated in a recent interview.
“It has been a incredible five or six years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for me and my family.”
So how did Alex Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up here?
Learning in non-league
His path in football has not been a typical one.
He spent four and a half years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, skipping school each Friday to travel by air from his island home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could attend training and play for the club’s academy sides.
Before he turned 13, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth were willing to offer Scott an opportunity and he remained with them for a while, but, as he later admitted, his mind was not in it.
Rather, he chose to stay on the island and turn out for his local team.
“My form had dipped and traveling weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he explained.
“I just wanted to relax at home with my friends at weekends because I had missed nearly several years of doing that. To have that slice of youth again was a thing I really required.
“Building some confidence by returning and taking part in local football was massive for me. That proved to be probably one of the most important factors that led me to this point.”
When he was just 16, Scott became the youngest player in the club’s records when he was introduced as a second-half substitute in their league fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the team because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance commented 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.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Championship side Bristol City – chaired by islander their owner – had been monitoring Scott’s early progress after an impressive start in adult football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled the player. “The first day I trained with the under-18s, the second day I was with the senior squad, which was a complete shock.
“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in London, returned home and by Friday, I played for the youth team and netted a hat-trick. It was almost a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
In just 18 months, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut versus Luton.
He made 83 league outings for the Robins while still a teenager, frequently being deployed as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his adaptability and versatility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his ability to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to City and national team attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he won the second tier’s young player of the season honour, was selected in the league’s team of the year and was voted the club’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I think he will represent England and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s manager at the club, stated last year.
Less than 90 days after, he signed for the Cherries for a reported fee of £25m.
Securing his big move
Scott endured a challenging debut campaign with the Cherries, waiting until October to make his Premier League debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then finding himself inconsistent of the starting XI.
His second campaign was equally disrupted, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for nearly four months.
“There was a decent run at the end of last season, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained he.
“It was almost another setback and it was turning out to be a pretty bad start for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by England for the U21 Euros – and managed to regain fitness for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six matches as they went on to win the competition in the host nation, forming a strong partnership in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has gone on to impress for the first team under the national coach.
And he has begun the current campaign equally as strongly for his club, featuring in all matches to help them to fifth in the table.
“To play for the England senior team would be one of the proudest occasions of my life,” Scott stated earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to continue developing as a player, keep enjoying the game, getting better every day, and with luck I impress the England manager and get my chance.”
