When Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager at the time assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
This prediction turned out to be a bit of an understatement.
Now 22 years old and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the playmaker has earned his maiden call-up to the full Three Lions squad.
His rise from non-league prodigy to potential England player is a true throwback, a story seldom seen in the modern game.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of becoming a professional football player, let alone featuring in the top division and playing for the national team too,” the player stated previously.
“It has been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and things have transformed completely for me and my loved ones.”
So how did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself here?
Developing in non-league
Scott’s football journey has been far from a typical one.
He was part of over four years in Southampton’s academy setup starting at eight, skipping school every Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could train and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before his 13th birthday, however, they released him. Bournemouth gave him an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind was not in it.
Rather, he chose to remain on Guernsey and turn out for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling weekly was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.
“All I desired to chill at home with my mates at the weekend because I had missed almost four and a half years of doing that. Getting that little bit of childhood again was something I definitely needed.
“Building a bit of self-belief by returning and playing island football was massive for me. That proved to be perhaps the most crucial things that got me to this point.”
When he was just 16, the teenager made history as the youngest player in the club’s records when he was introduced as a 57th-minute substitute in their Isthmian League fixture at the opposition.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the side because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance stated at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the way he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Second-tier club the Robins – chaired by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking his early progress after an impressive start in men’s football and gave him a try-out in late 2019.
“It was hectic,” recalled Scott. “Day one I joined the youth team, the next day I was with the first team, which was a complete surprise.
“On the Wednesday I played for his local side in London, travelled back and on the Friday, I took the field for the youth team and scored a three goals. It was almost a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
In just 18 months, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut against Luton.
He made 83 league outings for the Robins while still a teenager, often being used as a wide defender – and occasionally in attack as a number 10 – demonstrating his adaptability and versatility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was their best player.
Thanks to his skill to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team playmaker Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the second tier’s best young player honour, was selected in the league’s best XI and was voted the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I think he will represent his country and I think he will progress to the pinnacle of the game,” his former manager, the player’s boss at the club, stated last year.
Less than 90 days after, he signed for Bournemouth for a reported fee of £25m.
Securing his major transfer
The midfielder endured a difficult first season with the club, having to wait until October to make his top-flight debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then finding himself inconsistent of the team.
His following season was just as disrupted, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for almost four months.
“I had a decent run at the end of last season, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.
“It was yet another setback and it 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 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 strong understanding in the middle with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the first team under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started this season just as strongly for Bournemouth, featuring in every game to help them to fifth in the standings.
“To play for the national team would be one of the proudest occasions of my career,” Scott stated recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, keep enjoying the game, getting better day on day, and with luck I impress the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
