Back when Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 fans in 2019, his manager back then predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
This prediction proved to be a bit of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the midfielder has just received his maiden summons to the senior Three Lions squad.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to potential international star is a proper throwback, a story seldom seen in the modern era.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was no chance of becoming a professional football player, never mind featuring in the top division and playing for the national team as well,” Scott said in a recent interview.
“It has been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have changed drastically for myself and my loved ones.”
So how did Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself at this level?
Developing in non-league
His path in football has been far from a typical one.
He was part of over four years in the Saints’ youth system 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 feature for the club’s academy sides.
Before his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth gave Scott an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart was not in it.
Rather, he chose to stay on the island and play for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and flying over weekly was starting to feel a bit too much,” he explained.
“I just wanted to relax at home with my friends at the weekend because I missed nearly four and a half years of doing that. Getting that little bit of youth back was something I really needed.
“To gain a bit of confidence by returning and taking part in local football was massive for me. That proved to be probably one of the most important things that led me to this point.”
When he was just 16, the teenager made history as the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a 57th-minute replacement in their Isthmian League fixture at the opposition.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the side because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance stated at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the way he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Second-tier club Bristol City – owned by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking Scott’s development after an promising start in men’s football and gave him a try-out in late 2019.
“It was hectic,” recalled the player. “Day one I joined the youth team, the next day I was with the first team, which was a complete shock.
“Midweek I featured for his local side in the capital, travelled back and on the Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a three goals. 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 against the Hatters.
Scott went on to make 83 league appearances for the Robins while still a teenager, often being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – demonstrating his versatility and versatility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
With his skill to carry the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the second tier’s best young player honour, was chosen in the division’s team of the year and was named the club’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I believe he will represent England and I think he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked last year.
Less than 90 days after, he joined Bournemouth for a understood fee of £25m.
Getting his big move
Scott experienced a challenging debut campaign with the club, having to wait until the autumn to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then finding himself inconsistent of the starting XI.
His following season was just as disrupted, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for almost four months.
“I had a decent run at the end of last season, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said Scott.
“It was yet 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 succeeded in get himself fit for the tournament.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six games as they went on to win the tournament in the host nation, forming a formidable understanding in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who himself has gone on to impress for the first team with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started this season just as strongly for Bournemouth, featuring in all matches to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“To play for the national team would be one of the proudest moments of my life,” Scott 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 hopefully I catch the eye of the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
