When Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 spectators in 2019, his manager back then assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
That statement proved to be a bit of an understatement.
Now 22 years old and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the midfielder has earned his first summons to the full Three Lions team.
His rise from non-league prodigy to possible England player is a proper blast from the past, a journey rarely seen in the modern game.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was no chance of becoming a pro footballer, never mind featuring in the Premier League and representing the national team too,” the player said in a recent interview.
“It has been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have transformed drastically for me and my family.”
But how did Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up at this level?
Learning in non-league
Scott’s football journey has been far from a typical one.
He spent four and a half years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, skipping school each Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could attend training and play for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to he turned 13, however, they released him. Bournemouth gave him an option and he remained with them for a while, but, as he later admitted, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he chose to remain on the island and play for his local team.
“My form had dipped and traveling every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.
“All I desired to chill at my home with my mates at the weekend because I missed almost several years of that experience. To have that slice of childhood back was a thing I really required.
“To gain some self-belief by returning and taking part in island football was massive for me. That proved to be probably the most crucial factors that led me to this point.”
At the age of 16, Scott made history as the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a second-half substitute in their league match at the opposition.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the team because he’s that good,” manager the coach commented at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the manner he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Second-tier club the Robins – owned by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking Scott’s early progress after an promising start in men’s football and arranged a trial in late 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” said the player. “Day one I trained with the under-18s, the next day I trained with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.
“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, travelled back and on the Friday, I played for the youth team and netted a three goals. From that point a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
Within a year and a half, still well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut versus the Hatters.
He made eighty-three league outings for the Robins while in his teens, frequently being deployed as a wing-back – and sometimes further forward as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his adaptability and flexibility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was their best player.
Thanks to his ability to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team attacking midfielder Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he won the EFL Championship’s best young player award, was chosen in the division’s best XI and was voted the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I believe he will represent England and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at the club, stated last year.
Within 90 days later, he joined Bournemouth for a reported transfer fee of £25m.
Getting his major transfer
Scott experienced a challenging debut campaign with the Cherries, waiting until October to make his Premier League debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then being in and out of the team.
His following season was just as disrupted, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for almost four months.
“I had quite a good run at the end of last season, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” said Scott.
“It was yet another setback and the year was shaping up as quite a terrible year for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by England for the U21 Euros – and managed to regain fitness for the tournament.
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 his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the first team with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun this season equally as impressively for Bournemouth, playing in all matches to help them to the top five in the table.
“Representing the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my career,” Scott stated recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying the game, getting better every day, and hopefully I impress the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
