When Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports before just 55 fans in 2019, his manager at the time predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
This statement turned out to be a bit of an underestimation.
Now 22 years old and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the midfielder has earned his first call-up to the full Three Lions squad.
His rise from non-league prodigy to potential international star is a proper throwback, a story seldom told in the modern game.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was no chance of making it as a pro footballer, never mind playing in the top division and representing England too,” Scott stated previously.
“It has been a crazy five or six years of my life, and circumstances have transformed drastically for me and my loved ones.”
So in what way did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up at this level?
Learning in non-league
Scott’s path in football has not been a typical one.
He spent four and a half years in the Saints’ youth system from the age of eight, skipping school every Friday to travel by air from his island home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could train and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to his 13th birthday, though, they released him. The Cherries gave Scott an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, as he later admitted, his heart was not in it.
Rather, he opted to remain on the island and play for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over every week was starting to feel a bit too much,” he recalled.
“All I desired to relax at home with my friends at the weekend because I had missed nearly several years of doing that. To have that slice of childhood back was a thing I really required.
“To gain some confidence by coming back and taking part in local football was massive for me. That proved to be probably one of the most important factors that got me to this point.”
At the age of 16, the teenager made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a second-half substitute in their league fixture at the opposition.
“I had sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the side because his talent is obvious,” manager Tony Vance commented back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the manner he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the professional game
Championship side the Robins – owned by islander their owner – had been monitoring Scott’s early progress after an promising beginning in adult football and gave him a trial in late 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” recalled Scott. “The first day I joined the under-18s, the second day I was with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.
“Midweek I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, travelled back and by Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a three goals. 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 against Luton.
Scott went on to make 83 league appearances for the Robins while still a teenager, often being used as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his versatility and versatility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was their best player.
Thanks to his ability to drive the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he won the EFL Championship’s best young player award, was chosen in the league’s best XI and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I believe he will represent England and I think he will progress to the pinnacle of the game,” his former manager, the player’s manager at Ashton Gate, stated last year.
Less than 90 days later, he joined Bournemouth for a understood fee of £25m.
Securing his big move
The midfielder endured a challenging first season with the Cherries, waiting until the autumn to make his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then being inconsistent of the team.
His following season was equally disrupted, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for nearly several months.
“There was quite a good run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” said Scott.
“That felt like yet another setback and it was turning out to be quite a terrible year for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the U21 Euros – and managed to regain fitness in time.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six games as they claimed victory in the competition in Slovakia, forming a strong understanding in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has excelled for the senior side with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started this season just as strongly for his club, featuring in all matches to help them to the top five in the table.
“Representing the national team would be one of the proudest occasions of my career,” Scott said recently.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to keep progressing as a player, keep enjoying the game, getting better every day, and with luck I impress the national coach and get my chance.”
