Back when Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 fans in 2019, his coach at the time assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
This prediction turned out to be a bit of an understatement.
Today 22 years old and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the midfielder has earned his maiden call-up to the full England squad.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to potential England player is a true blast from the past, a journey seldom seen in the modern era.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a pro footballer, let alone playing in the Premier League and representing the national team as well,” the player stated in a recent interview.
“It has been a crazy five or six years of my life, and things have changed completely for me and my loved ones.”
So in what way did Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself at this level?
Learning in non-league
His football journey has not been a conventional one.
He was part of four and a half years in Southampton’s youth system from the age of eight, leaving school early each Friday to fly from his home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could attend training and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Before he turned 13, though, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth gave him an opportunity and he remained with them for a while, but, as he later admitted, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he chose to stay on the island and turn out for his local team.
“My form had dipped and traveling every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he explained.
“All I desired to chill at home with my mates at weekends because I had missed nearly several years of that experience. Getting that slice of youth back was something I definitely needed.
“Building a bit of 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 where I am today.”
At the age of 16, Scott made history as the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a 57th-minute replacement in their Isthmian League match at the opposition.
“I had sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could include him in the side because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss the coach stated back then.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Second-tier club the Robins – owned by islander their owner – had been tracking his early progress after an impressive start in adult football and arranged a trial in late 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled the player. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the next day I was with the senior squad, which was a total shock.
“On the Wednesday I featured for his local side in London, returned home and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and netted a hat-trick. It was almost a certainty for me to sign a contract.”
Within a year and a half, still well before his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut versus the Hatters.
He made eighty-three league appearances for the Robins while still a teenager, often being deployed as a wide defender – and sometimes further forward as a number 10 – such was his versatility and versatility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
With his skill to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to City and England playmaker Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the second tier’s best young player award, was selected in the league’s team of the year and was voted the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I believe he’ll play for England and I think he will progress to the pinnacle of the game,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s manager at the club, stated last year.
Within 90 days later, he joined the Cherries for a understood fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his big move
The midfielder experienced a challenging first season with the club, having to wait until the autumn to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then being in and out of the starting XI.
His following season was equally disrupted, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for nearly four months.
“I had quite a good run at the end of last season, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said he.
“That felt like almost another obstacle and the year was shaping up as a pretty bad year for the first half.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in get himself fit in time.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six matches as they went on to win the competition in the host nation, developing a strong partnership in midfield with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the first team under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun the current campaign equally as impressively for his club, featuring in every game to help them to the top five in the table.
“To play for the national team would be one of the proudest occasions of my career,” the player stated earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, maintain my love for the game, getting better every day, and hopefully I impress the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
