When Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus 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 underestimation.
Now 22 years old and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the midfielder has earned his maiden call-up to the senior Three Lions team.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to potential international star is a true throwback, a journey seldom told in the modern era.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of making it as a professional football player, never mind playing in the Premier League and representing the national team as well,” 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 me and my loved ones.”
But how did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself at this level?
Learning in non-league
His path in football has been far from a typical one.
He spent four and a half years in Southampton’s youth system from the age of eight, skipping school every Friday to travel by air from his island home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could attend training and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to he turned 13, though, they released him. Bournemouth gave him an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart was not in it.
Instead, he chose to stay on the island and play for his local team.
“My form had dipped and traveling every week was starting to feel a bit too much,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to relax at home with my friends at the weekend because I missed almost four and a half years of that experience. To have that little bit of youth back was a thing I really needed.
“Building a bit of confidence by coming back and playing local football was massive for me. It was probably one of the most important factors that led me to this point.”
At the age of 16, the teenager became the youngest player in the club’s records when he was introduced as a 57th-minute substitute in their league fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could include him in the team because he’s that good,” manager the coach commented back then.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the way he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Second-tier club the Robins – chaired by islander Steve Lansdown – had been tracking his early progress after an impressive start in men’s football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” said Scott. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the next day I was with the senior squad, which was a complete shock.
“Midweek I featured for Guernsey FC in London, travelled back and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a hat-trick. It was almost a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
Within 18 months, even well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut versus the Hatters.
He made eighty-three league outings for the club while still a teenager, frequently being used as a wide defender – and sometimes further forward as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his versatility and versatility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
With his ability to drive 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 England playmaker Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he won the second tier’s young player of the season award, was chosen in the league’s team of the year and was voted the club’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I think he’ll play for his country and I think he will progress to the top of the game,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s boss at the club, remarked previously.
Less than 90 days after, he signed for Bournemouth for a understood fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his big move
The midfielder experienced a difficult first season with the Cherries, waiting until the autumn to make his Premier League debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then being inconsistent of the team.
His following season was equally affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for nearly four months.
“There was a decent run at the close of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” said Scott.
“That felt like yet another obstacle and the year was turning out to be a pretty bad year for the first half.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the U21 Euros – and managed to regain fitness for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six games as they claimed victory in the competition in Slovakia, developing a strong partnership in the middle with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the senior side with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started this season just as strongly for Bournemouth, featuring in all matches to help them to the top five in the standings.
“Representing the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my life,” Scott said earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I must keep progressing as a player, keep enjoying the game, improving day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the national coach and get my chance.”
