Back when Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
This prediction turned out to be a bit of an understatement.
Now 22 years old and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his first call-up to the senior England team.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to possible England player is a true throwback, a journey rarely told in the modern era.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was no chance of becoming a professional football player, never mind featuring in the top division and representing England as well,” the player stated previously.
“It’s been a crazy five or six years of my life, and circumstances have changed drastically for myself and my loved ones.”
So how did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself at this level?
Developing in non-league
His football journey has been far from a typical one.
He spent over four years in the Saints’ academy setup from the age of eight, leaving school early every Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could train and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth gave Scott an opportunity and he remained with them for a time, but, as he later admitted, his mind was not in it.
Rather, he chose to remain on the island and turn out for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over weekly was becoming a bit too much,” he recalled.
“All I desired to chill 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 a thing I definitely needed.
“Building some self-belief by returning and playing local football was massive for me. It was 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 Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a second-half replacement in their league match at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could include him in the side because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance commented back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the manner he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Championship side the Robins – chaired by islander Steve Lansdown – had been tracking his early progress after an promising beginning in adult football and arranged a try-out in late 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 shock.
“Midweek I featured for his local side in the capital, travelled back and by Friday, I played for the youth team and netted a hat-trick. It was almost a done deal for me to sign a deal.”
In just a year and a half, still well before his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut against Luton.
He made eighty-three league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, frequently being used as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his versatility and flexibility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was their best player.
Thanks to his skill to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to City and national team playmaker Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the second tier’s young player of the season honour, was chosen in the division’s team of the year and was named Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I think he’ll play for his country and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the game,” his former manager, Scott’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated previously.
Less than 90 days later, he joined Bournemouth for a understood transfer fee of £25m.
Securing his big move
The midfielder experienced a challenging debut campaign with the Cherries, having to wait until the autumn to make his top-flight debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then being inconsistent of the team.
His second campaign was equally disrupted, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for nearly four months.
“There was a decent run at the close of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” said Scott.
“It was almost another setback and the year was turning out to be quite a terrible start for the first half.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in regain fitness in time.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, developing a strong partnership in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who himself has excelled for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun the current campaign just as impressively for Bournemouth, playing in every game to guide them to fifth in the table.
“Representing the national team would be one of the proudest moments of my career,” Scott said earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to continue developing as a player, keep enjoying football, improving every day, and with luck I impress the national coach and get my chance.”
