From grassroots to national team selection - the story of ‘Guernsey Grealish’ Alex Scott?

Back when Alex Scott made his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 spectators in 2019, his manager at the time predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”

That statement turned out to be a bit of an underestimation.

Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the playmaker has just received his maiden summons to the senior Three Lions team.

His rise from non-league prodigy to potential international star is a true blast from the past, a journey rarely told in the modern game.

Next stop? A major tournament?

“Back then, there was zero possibility of becoming a pro footballer, never mind playing in the Premier League and representing the national team as well,” the player stated previously.

“It has been a incredible five or six years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for myself and my loved ones.”

So how did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself here?

Developing in non-league

His path in football has been far from a typical one.

He was part of over four years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, skipping school each Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could attend training and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.

Prior to he turned 13, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth were willing to offer Scott an option and he remained with them for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind wasn’t fully committed.

Instead, he opted to remain on the island and play for his local team.

“My form had dipped and traveling every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he explained.

“I just wanted to chill at my home with my mates at weekends because I missed almost four and a half years of doing that. Getting that slice of childhood again was something I really required.

“To gain some confidence by coming back and playing island football was huge for me. It was probably one of the most important factors that got me where I am today.”

When he was just 16, Scott became the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he was introduced as a second-half 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 he’s that good,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance commented at the time.

“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the way he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”

Making a comeback to the pro ranks

Championship side Bristol City – chaired by islander Steve Lansdown – had been tracking his early progress after an impressive start in men’s football and arranged a trial in late 2019.

“It was hectic,” recalled Scott. “Day one I trained with the youth team, the next day I trained with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.

“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 hat-trick. It was almost a certainty for me to sign a deal.”

In just 18 months, still well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut against the Hatters.

He made eighty-three league outings for the Robins while still a teenager, often being deployed as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his versatility and flexibility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was their best player.

Thanks to his skill to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to City and England playmaker Grealish.

By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he won the second tier’s young player of the season award, was selected in the division’s team of the year and was named the club’s player and young player of the Year.

“No doubt, I believe he’ll play for his country and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the game,” his former manager, the player’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.

Within three months later, he signed for Bournemouth for a reported fee of 25 million pounds.

Getting his major transfer

Scott experienced a difficult debut campaign with the Cherries, waiting until October to make his top-flight debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then being in and out of the team.

His following season was just as affected, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for almost four months.

“There was a decent run at the end of last season, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained he.

“It was almost another setback and the year was turning out to be quite a terrible year for the first five months.”

But he was then called up by England for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in regain fitness in time.

He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six games as they claimed victory in the competition in the host nation, developing a formidable understanding in midfield with his teammate, who himself has gone on to impress for the first team with the national coach.

And he has started the current campaign just as impressively for Bournemouth, featuring in every game to help them to fifth in the table.

“Representing the national team would be one of the proudest moments of my career,” Scott stated recently.

“It’s down to me, I must continue developing as a footballer, maintain my love for the game, getting better day on day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and earn an opportunity.”