Back when the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager back then assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
That statement proved to be a bit of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has just received his maiden summons to the full Three Lions squad.
His rise from non-league prodigy to possible international star is a proper blast from the past, a journey seldom told in the modern game.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was no chance of becoming a pro footballer, let alone featuring in the top division and representing the national team too,” Scott said in a recent interview.
“It has been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have transformed completely for myself and my family.”
But in what way did Alex Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself here?
Learning in non-league
His path in football 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 travel by air from his home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could attend training and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Before his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. The Cherries gave him an option and he remained with them for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he chose to stay on Guernsey and turn out for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over weekly was starting to feel overwhelming,” he explained.
“All I desired to relax at home with my friends at the weekend because I had missed nearly four and a half years of doing that. To have that slice of youth back was something I really needed.
“To gain a bit of confidence by coming back and playing island football was huge for me. That proved to be perhaps one of the most important factors that led me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, the teenager became the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a second-half replacement in their Isthmian 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,” manager the coach stated at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the way he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Championship side Bristol City – owned by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring his development after an impressive start in adult football and arranged a try-out in late 2019.
“It was chaos,” said the player. “Day one I trained with the youth team, the second day I trained with the first team, which was a complete surprise.
“On the Wednesday I featured for Guernsey FC in London, returned home and on the Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
Within a year and a half, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut versus the Hatters.
Scott went on to make 83 league appearances for the Robins while still a teenager, frequently being used as a wing-back – and occasionally in attack as a attacking midfielder – such was his adaptability and flexibility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was their best player.
Thanks to his skill to drive the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and national team attacking midfielder Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he won the second tier’s young player of the season 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 believe he will represent England and I think he’ll go on to the top of the sport,” his former manager, Scott’s boss at the club, remarked previously.
Less than 90 days after, he signed for the Cherries for a understood transfer fee of £25m.
Securing his major transfer
The midfielder endured a challenging debut campaign with the Cherries, waiting until the autumn to make his top-flight debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then finding himself in and out of the starting XI.
His following season was just as affected, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for nearly several months.
“I had quite a good run at the close of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said Scott.
“It was yet another setback and the year was shaping up as a pretty bad start for the first half.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to get himself fit in time.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six games as they claimed victory in the tournament in the host nation, developing a formidable understanding in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has gone on to impress for the first team with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started the current campaign equally as strongly for his club, featuring in all matches to help them to the top five in the standings.
“To play for the England senior team would be one of the proudest occasions of my career,” the player said earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, getting better every day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the national coach and get my chance.”
