When Alex Scott made his local team debut against Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his manager back then assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
That prediction proved to be something of an underestimation.
Today aged 22 and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the playmaker has earned his maiden call-up to the senior England team.
His rise from non-league prodigy to potential England player is a true throwback, a story seldom seen in the modern era.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was no chance of becoming a professional football player, never mind featuring in the top division and playing for the national team too,” the player said previously.
“It has been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and things have changed drastically for me and my loved ones.”
So how did Alex Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself at this level?
Learning in the lower tiers
Scott’s path in football has been far from a typical one.
He spent over four years in the Saints’ youth system starting at eight, skipping school every Friday to travel by air from his island home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could train and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to his 13th birthday, though, they released him. 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.
Instead, he chose to remain on the island and play for his local team.
“My form had dipped and flying over every week was becoming overwhelming,” he explained.
“All I desired to relax at home with my friends at the weekend because I missed nearly several years of doing that. Getting that little bit of youth back was something I definitely needed.
“Building some confidence by coming back and taking part in island football was massive for me. That proved to be probably the most crucial things that got me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, the teenager became the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a 57th-minute substitute in their league fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I had sleepless nights because I was figuring 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 exceptional, the way he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Second-tier club the Robins – owned by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking his early progress after an impressive beginning in adult football and arranged a try-out in late 2019.
“It was hectic,” said Scott. “The first day I joined the youth team, the next day I was with the first team, which was a total shock.
“On the Wednesday I featured for Guernsey FC in London, returned home and on the Friday, I played for the youth team and netted a hat-trick. From that point a certainty for me to sign a deal.”
In just a year and a half, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut versus the Hatters.
Scott made eighty-three league outings for the Robins while still a teenager, frequently being used as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – demonstrating his adaptability and flexibility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
With his ability to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to City and England playmaker Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he claimed the second tier’s young player of the season honour, was selected in the division’s team of the year and was voted the club’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I think he’ll play for England and I’m sure he’ll go on to the top of the game,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s manager at the club, stated previously.
Less than 90 days after, he signed for Bournemouth for a understood fee of £25m.
Securing his big move
The midfielder experienced a difficult first season with the club, waiting until the autumn to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then being in and out of the starting XI.
His second campaign was just as affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for almost several months.
“I had quite a good run at the close of last season, which was nice to have, then I fractured 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 selected by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in regain fitness in time.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six games as they went on to win the competition in Slovakia, forming a strong partnership in the middle with his teammate, who himself has gone on to impress for the senior side with the national coach.
And he has begun this season just as impressively for his club, playing in every game to guide them to fifth in the standings.
“To play for the England senior team would be among the most special occasions of my life,” the player stated recently.
“It’s down to me, I must keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for football, improving day on day, and hopefully I impress the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
