When Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before just 55 fans in 2019, his coach at the time predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
That statement proved to be a bit of an underestimation.
Today aged 22 and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the playmaker has earned his maiden call-up to the full Three Lions team.
His rise from non-league prodigy to potential international star is a true blast from the past, a story rarely told in the modern era.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was no chance of becoming a pro footballer, let alone featuring in the top division and playing for the national team as well,” the player stated previously.
“It has been a incredible five or six years of my life, and things have transformed completely for myself and my loved ones.”
So how did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself at this level?
Learning in non-league
Scott’s football journey has been far from a typical one.
He spent over four years in the Saints’ youth system starting at eight, skipping school each Friday to fly from his home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could train and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Before his 13th birthday, though, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth gave Scott an opportunity and he remained with them for a while, but, as he later admitted, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he chose to remain on Guernsey and play for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling weekly was starting to feel a bit too much,” he recalled.
“All I desired to chill at home with my mates at weekends because I had missed almost several years of that experience. To have that slice of youth again was something I definitely required.
“Building a bit of confidence by returning and taking part in island football was huge for me. That proved to be perhaps one of the most important factors that led me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, the teenager became the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a second-half replacement in their Isthmian League fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I had sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could get him in the side because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss the coach stated back then.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the manner he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Championship side Bristol City – owned by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking his development after an impressive start in men’s football and gave him a try-out in late 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” recalled the player. “The first day I joined the youth team, the next day I was with the senior squad, which was a complete shock.
“On the Wednesday I played for his local side in London, travelled back and on the Friday, I played for the youth team and netted a three goals. From that point a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
Within 18 months, still well before his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut against Luton.
He made 83 league outings for the Robins while still a teenager, frequently being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – such was his adaptability and versatility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
With his ability to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to City and England attacking midfielder Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he won the second tier’s young player of the season award, was selected in the league’s team of the year and was voted Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I believe he will represent his country and I think he’ll go on to the top of the sport,” his former manager, Scott’s manager at the club, stated previously.
Within 90 days later, he joined Bournemouth for a understood fee of £25m.
Getting his big move
Scott experienced a challenging first season with the Cherries, having to wait until the autumn to make his Premier League debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then finding himself inconsistent of the team.
His following season was just as affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for nearly several months.
“There was quite a good run at the end of last season, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained he.
“It was almost another setback and the year was shaping up as a pretty bad start for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by England for the U21 Euros – and managed to get himself fit in time.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they claimed victory in the competition in the host nation, developing a strong partnership in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who himself has excelled for the senior side with the national coach.
And he has started the current campaign equally as impressively for his club, featuring in every game to help them to fifth in the standings.
“Representing the national team would be one of the proudest occasions of my life,” the player stated earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for football, getting better every day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”
