When Alex Scott made his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports before just 55 fans in 2019, his manager back then assured, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
This statement proved to be something of an underestimation.
Now 22 years old and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his maiden call-up to the full England squad.
His rise from non-league prodigy to possible England player is a proper blast from the past, a journey rarely seen in the modern era.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was no chance of becoming a pro footballer, let alone featuring in the Premier League and representing England as well,” Scott stated in a recent interview.
“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and things have transformed completely for myself and my loved ones.”
So in what way did Alex Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself at this level?
Developing in non-league
His football journey has not been a conventional one.
He spent four and a half years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, skipping school every Friday to travel by air from his home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could train and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to he turned 13, though, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth were willing to offer Scott an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, as he later admitted, his mind was not in it.
Instead, he chose to stay on Guernsey and turn out for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.
“All I desired to relax at my home with my friends at the weekend because I had missed nearly four and a half years of that experience. To have that slice of childhood back was something I really needed.
“Building a bit of self-belief by returning and taking part in island football was massive for me. That proved to be probably one of the most important things that led me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, Scott made history as the youngest player in the club’s records when he was introduced as a second-half replacement in their league match at the opposition.
“I had sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could include him in the team because his talent is obvious,” manager Tony Vance stated at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the manner he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the professional game
Second-tier club the Robins – owned by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring Scott’s early progress after an promising beginning in men’s football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.
“It was hectic,” said Scott. “The first day I joined the under-18s, the next day I trained with the first team, which was a complete shock.
“Midweek I played for Guernsey FC in London, travelled back and by Friday, I played for the youth team and scored a hat-trick. From that point a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
Within 18 months, even well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut against the Hatters.
Scott made eighty-three league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, often being deployed as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his versatility and flexibility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his skill to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he won the EFL Championship’s young player of the season award, was chosen in the division’s team of the year and was voted the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I think he’ll play for his country and I think he will progress to the pinnacle of the sport,” his former manager, the player’s manager at Ashton Gate, stated previously.
Within 90 days after, he signed for Bournemouth for a understood transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his big move
Scott endured a difficult debut campaign with the club, waiting until October to earn his top-flight debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then finding himself inconsistent of the starting XI.
His second campaign was just as disrupted, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for almost four months.
“There was quite a good run at the close of last season, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained he.
“It was yet another setback and the year was turning out to be quite a terrible start for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to get himself fit for the tournament.
He started five of the England U21s’ six games as they went on to win the competition in the host nation, forming a formidable understanding in midfield with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the first team under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun the current campaign equally as strongly for his club, featuring in every game to help them to fifth in the standings.
“Representing the England senior team would be one of the proudest occasions of my life,” the player said recently.
“It’s down to me, I must keep progressing as a footballer, maintain my love for the game, getting better day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
