Back when Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his coach at the time predicted, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
That prediction turned out to be something of an understatement.
Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has just received his maiden call-up to the full England squad.
His rise from non-league prodigy to possible England player is a true blast from the past, a journey rarely seen in the modern game.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of becoming a pro footballer, let alone playing in the Premier League and playing for England too,” Scott stated previously.
“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have transformed completely for myself and my family.”
So in what way did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up here?
Developing in non-league
His football journey has been far from a conventional one.
He was part of over four years in the Saints’ youth system starting at eight, leaving school early each Friday to travel by air from his island home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could attend training and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before his 13th birthday, however, they released him. The Cherries gave him an option and he remained with them for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart was not in it.
Rather, he chose to remain on the island and turn out for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and flying over weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he explained.
“I just wanted to chill at my home with my mates at the weekend because I had missed almost four and a half years of that experience. Getting that slice of youth back was a thing I really required.
“Building a bit of confidence by returning and playing island football was huge for me. It was probably one of the most important factors that got me to this point.”
At the age of 16, the teenager made history as the youngest player in the club’s records when he was introduced as a second-half substitute in their league match at Phoenix Sports.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could get him in the team because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss the coach stated at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the way he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the professional game
Second-tier club the Robins – owned by Guernsey resident their owner – had been monitoring Scott’s early progress after an impressive beginning in adult football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.
“It 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 Guernsey FC in London, returned home and on the Friday, I took the field for the youth team and scored a hat-trick. From that point a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
Within 18 months, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut versus the Hatters.
He went on to make 83 league outings for the Robins while still a teenager, frequently being used as a wing-back – and sometimes in attack as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his versatility and versatility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
Thanks to 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 playmaker Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he won the EFL Championship’s best young player honour, was selected in the league’s team of the year and was named the club’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I think he will represent England and I think he will progress to the top of the game,” his former manager, the player’s manager at the club, remarked last year.
Less than 90 days later, he signed for the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of £25m.
Getting his major transfer
Scott experienced a difficult first season with the club, having to wait until the autumn to make his top-flight debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then being in and out of the team.
His second campaign was equally disrupted, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for almost several months.
“There was quite a good run at the end of last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” said Scott.
“It was yet another setback and it 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 regain fitness in time.
He started five of the England U21s’ six games as they claimed victory in the tournament in Slovakia, developing a strong partnership in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who himself has gone on to impress for the first team with the national coach.
And he has begun this season just as strongly for his club, playing in every game to guide them to fifth in the table.
“Representing the national team would be among the most special occasions of my life,” Scott stated earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to keep progressing as a player, keep enjoying football, improving day on day, and with luck I impress the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
