When Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before just 55 spectators in 2019, his manager at the time predicted, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
That statement proved to be a bit of an understatement.
Today 22 years old and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his maiden summons to the senior Three Lions team.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to possible international star is a true throwback, a story seldom seen in the modern game.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of becoming a pro footballer, never mind playing in the top division and representing the national team as well,” Scott stated in a recent interview.
“It’s been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and things have transformed completely for me and my loved ones.”
But how did Alex Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up at this level?
Developing in non-league
Scott’s path in football has been far from a typical one.
He was part of four and a half years in the Saints’ youth system starting at eight, skipping school each Friday to travel by air 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 his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth were willing to offer him an opportunity and he remained with them for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind was not in it.
Instead, he opted to stay on Guernsey and play for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and traveling weekly was starting to feel a bit too much,” he explained.
“All I desired to relax at my home with my friends at the weekend because I had missed almost several years of doing that. To have that slice of youth back was a thing I really required.
“To gain some confidence by coming back and taking part in island football was huge for me. It was probably the most crucial factors that led me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, Scott became the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he was introduced as a 57th-minute replacement in their league fixture at the opposition.
“I had sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the team because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss the coach stated back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the way he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Championship side the Robins – chaired by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring his development after an impressive start in men’s football and arranged a trial in December 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” said the player. “The first day I trained with the under-18s, the next day I was with the first team, which was a total surprise.
“On the Wednesday I featured for Guernsey FC in London, returned home and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and scored a hat-trick. From that point a done deal for me to sign a deal.”
In just 18 months, still well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut against Luton.
Scott went on to make eighty-three league outings for the Robins while still a teenager, frequently being used as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his adaptability and versatility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was their best player.
With his ability 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 England playmaker Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he claimed the EFL Championship’s best young player honour, was chosen in the division’s best XI and was named the club’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I believe he’ll play for England and I think he will progress to the top of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s manager at the club, remarked last year.
Less than three months after, he joined Bournemouth for a reported fee of £25m.
Securing his major transfer
Scott experienced a difficult first season with the Cherries, waiting until October to make his top-flight debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then finding himself in and out of the team.
His following season was just as affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for nearly four months.
“I had a decent run at the close of last season, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said he.
“That felt like yet another obstacle and it was shaping up as quite a terrible start for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to get himself fit for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six games as they went on to win the tournament in the host nation, developing a strong partnership in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who himself has gone on to impress for the senior side with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun the current campaign equally as strongly for his club, playing in every game to guide them to the top five in the table.
“Representing the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my life,” Scott said recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to continue developing as a player, keep enjoying football, improving every day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
