When Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports before just 55 spectators in 2019, his manager at the time predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
That statement proved to be something of an underestimation.
Now 22 years old and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the playmaker has just received his maiden summons to the full England squad.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to potential England player is a true blast from the past, a story seldom told in the modern game.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of becoming a professional football player, never mind playing in the Premier League and playing for the national team as well,” Scott stated previously.
“It has been a crazy five or six years of my life, and things have transformed completely for myself and my loved ones.”
So how did Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself here?
Learning 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’ academy setup from the age of eight, skipping school each Friday to fly from his island home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could train and play for the club’s academy sides.
Before he turned 13, however, they decided to let him go. The Cherries were willing to offer him an option and he remained with them for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he opted to remain on Guernsey and turn out for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling weekly was becoming a bit too much,” he explained.
“All I desired to relax at home with my friends at weekends because I had missed almost four and a half years of that experience. Getting that slice of childhood again was a thing I really required.
“Building some self-belief by returning and taking part in island football was huge for me. It was probably the most crucial things that got me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, Scott became the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a 57th-minute substitute in their league match at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could get him in the side because his talent is obvious,” manager Tony Vance commented at the time.
“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 – owned by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking his development after an promising beginning in men’s football and arranged a trial in late 2019.
“It was hectic,” recalled Scott. “Day one I trained with the youth team, the second day I trained with the first team, which was a total surprise.
“Midweek I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and scored a hat-trick. It was almost a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
Within 18 months, still well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut against the Hatters.
He went on to make eighty-three league outings for the Robins while still a teenager, often being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – demonstrating his adaptability and versatility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was their best player.
With his ability to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and national team attacking midfielder Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he claimed the second tier’s best young player award, was selected in the division’s best XI and was named Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I think he’ll play for England and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the game,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s manager at Ashton Gate, stated last year.
Within three months later, he joined the Cherries for a reported fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his major transfer
Scott endured a challenging first season with the Cherries, having to wait until the autumn to earn his Premier League debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then finding himself inconsistent of the team.
His second campaign was equally disrupted, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for nearly four months.
“There was a decent run at the end of last season, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained he.
“That felt like yet another setback and it was turning out to be a pretty bad year for the first half.”
But he was then selected by England for the U21 Euros – and managed to get himself fit for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six matches as they went on to win the competition in Slovakia, forming a formidable partnership in the middle 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, featuring in all matches to help them to fifth in the standings.
“To play for the England senior team would be among the most special occasions of my career,” Scott said earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for the game, getting better day on day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”