When Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before just 55 spectators in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
This prediction turned out to be a bit of an understatement.
Now aged 22 and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the playmaker has earned his first call-up to the full England team.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to possible international star is a proper throwback, a journey rarely told in the modern game.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was no chance of making it as a pro footballer, let alone playing in the Premier League and playing for the national team as well,” the player said previously.
“It has been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for myself and my family.”
But in what way did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself at this level?
Learning in the lower tiers
Scott’s path in football has not been a typical one.
He was part of over four years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, leaving school early every Friday to fly from his island home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could attend training and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to he turned 13, however, they released him. Bournemouth were willing to offer Scott an option and he remained with them for a time, but, as he later admitted, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he opted to stay on Guernsey and turn out for his local team.
“My form had dipped and flying over every week was starting to feel a bit too much,” he recalled.
“All I desired to chill at home with my friends at the weekend because I missed almost four and a half years of doing that. To have that little bit of youth back was a thing I definitely needed.
“To gain some confidence by coming back and playing local football was massive for me. That proved to be probably one of the most important things 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 57th-minute substitute in their league match at the opposition.
“I had sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could get him in the team because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance stated at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the professional game
Second-tier club Bristol City – chaired by islander 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.
“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled Scott. “Day one I trained with the under-18s, the next day I trained with the senior squad, which was a total surprise.
“Midweek I featured for Guernsey FC in London, travelled back and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and netted a hat-trick. From that point a certainty for me to sign a deal.”
In just 18 months, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut versus Luton.
He went on to make 83 league appearances for the club while in his teens, often being deployed as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his versatility and versatility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was their best player.
With his ability to drive the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to City and national team attacking midfielder Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he won the EFL Championship’s young player of the season honour, was chosen in the league’s best XI and was named the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I believe he will represent his country and I think he will progress to the pinnacle of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at the club, stated last year.
Within 90 days after, he signed for the Cherries for a reported fee of £25m.
Securing his big move
Scott experienced a challenging first season with the club, having to wait until the autumn to earn his top-flight debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.
His second campaign was just as disrupted, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for nearly several months.
“There was quite a good run at the close of last season, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” said Scott.
“It was almost another setback and it was shaping up as a pretty bad year for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in get himself fit for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six games as they claimed victory in the tournament in Slovakia, developing a formidable partnership in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who himself has excelled for the first team with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started the current campaign equally as strongly for his club, playing in all matches to guide them to fifth in the table.
“Representing the England senior team would be among the most special occasions of my life,” the player stated earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying the game, improving day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”
