When Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before just 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then assured, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
That prediction proved to be a bit of an underestimation.
Today 22 years old and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the playmaker has just received his maiden call-up to the senior Three Lions team.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to potential international star is a true throwback, a journey seldom told in the modern era.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was no chance of becoming a pro footballer, let alone playing in the top division and representing England 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 family.”
But in what way did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up here?
Learning in non-league
His path in football has not been a typical one.
He was part of four and a half years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, leaving school early each Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could train and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to his 13th birthday, though, they decided to let him go. The Cherries were willing to offer him an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, as he later admitted, his mind was not in it.
Rather, he chose to stay on Guernsey and turn out for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he recalled.
“All I desired to chill at my home with my mates at weekends because I missed almost several years of doing that. Getting that little bit of childhood again was something I definitely required.
“Building some self-belief by returning and taking part in local football was massive for me. It was perhaps one of the most important factors that led me to this point.”
At the age of 16, Scott made history as the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a 57th-minute substitute in their Isthmian League fixture at the opposition.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could get him in the side because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance commented at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the way he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Championship side the Robins – chaired by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking Scott’s development after an promising beginning in men’s football and gave him a trial in December 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” said the player. “The first day I trained with the youth team, the next day I was with the senior squad, which was a complete shock.
“On the Wednesday I featured for his local side in the capital, travelled back and on the Friday, I played for the youth team and scored a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to sign a contract.”
In just 18 months, still well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut versus Luton.
He went on to make 83 league appearances for the club while in his teens, often being deployed as a wide defender – and sometimes further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his versatility and versatility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was their best player.
With his skill to drive the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to City and England attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he won the EFL Championship’s best young player award, was chosen in the league’s team of the year and was voted the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I think he’ll play for England and I think he’ll go on to the top of the sport,” his former manager, the player’s manager at Ashton Gate, stated previously.
Less than three months later, he joined Bournemouth for a reported transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his major transfer
Scott experienced a challenging first season with the club, having to wait until October to make his top-flight debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then being in and out of the starting XI.
His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for nearly several months.
“I had quite a good run at the close of last season, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained he.
“It was yet another obstacle and it was shaping up as a pretty bad year for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in get himself fit for the tournament.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they claimed victory in the tournament in the host nation, developing a strong partnership in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who himself has gone on to impress for the senior side with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started the current campaign just as impressively for Bournemouth, featuring in every game to guide them to the top five in the table.
“To play for the national team would be among the most special moments of my life,” Scott stated earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, maintain my love for the game, improving day on day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”
