Back when the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
That prediction turned out to be something of an underestimation.
Today 22 years old and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the midfielder has just received his first summons to the full Three Lions squad.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to possible England player is a proper throwback, a journey seldom told in the modern era.
What’s next? 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 playing for England too,” Scott stated in a recent interview.
“It’s been a crazy five or six years of my life, and things have transformed completely for me and my loved ones.”
So how did Alex Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up at this level?
Developing in non-league
Scott’s path in football has been far from a conventional one.
He was part of four and a half years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, skipping school every Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could attend training and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to his 13th birthday, though, they released him. Bournemouth were willing to offer him an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he opted to stay on Guernsey and play for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he explained.
“All I desired to relax at my home with my mates at weekends because I had missed almost several years of doing that. Getting that little bit of childhood again was a thing I definitely required.
“Building a bit of self-belief by returning and taking part in local football was massive for me. That proved to be perhaps the most crucial things that got me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, the teenager became the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a second-half substitute in their Isthmian League match at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the side because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss the coach stated at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the way he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Championship side the Robins – chaired by islander their owner – had been tracking Scott’s development after an promising beginning in adult football and arranged a try-out in late 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” said Scott. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the next day I was with the first team, which was a complete shock.
“On the Wednesday I featured for Guernsey FC in London, returned home and on the Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a three goals. From that point a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
In just a year and a half, still well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut against Luton.
He went on to make eighty-three league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, often being deployed as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – demonstrating his adaptability and versatility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his skill to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he won the second tier’s young player of the season honour, was selected in the division’s best XI and was named the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I think he will represent his country and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the game,” his former manager, the player’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated last year.
Less than 90 days after, he joined the Cherries for a reported fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his big move
Scott experienced a challenging debut campaign with the Cherries, waiting until the autumn to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then being in and out of the team.
His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for almost several months.
“I had quite a good run at the end of last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained he.
“It was almost another obstacle and it was shaping up as quite a terrible start for the first half.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in regain fitness in time.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six games as they went on to win the competition in Slovakia, forming a formidable understanding in the middle with his teammate, who himself has gone on to impress for the first team with the national coach.
And he has begun 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 national team would be one of the proudest moments of my life,” Scott stated recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to continue developing as a player, 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.”
