When Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut against Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his manager at the time assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
That prediction proved to be something of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the midfielder has earned his maiden call-up to the full Three Lions team.
His rise from non-league prodigy to possible international star is a proper throwback, a journey rarely told in the modern era.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was no chance of making it as a pro footballer, let alone featuring in the Premier League and playing for the national team as well,” the player stated in a recent interview.
“It’s been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and things have changed drastically for myself and my loved ones.”
So how did Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up at this level?
Learning in the lower tiers
Scott’s path in football has been far from a conventional one.
He spent over four years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, leaving school early every Friday to fly from his home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could train and play for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth were willing to offer Scott an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, as he later admitted, his mind was not in it.
Instead, 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.
“I just wanted to relax at home with my friends at weekends because I had missed nearly four and a half years of that experience. To have that little bit of youth back was something I definitely required.
“Building a bit of self-belief by coming back and playing island football was massive for me. That proved to be probably one of the most important factors that led me to this point.”
At the age of 16, Scott became the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he came on as a second-half substitute in their Isthmian League match at Phoenix Sports.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could include him in the side because his talent is obvious,” manager Tony Vance commented back then.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the manner he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the professional game
Second-tier club Bristol City – owned by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking Scott’s development after an promising beginning in adult football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” recalled the player. “The first day I joined the under-18s, the second day I trained with the first team, which was a total shock.
“On the Wednesday I played for his local side in London, returned home and on the Friday, I played for the youth team and netted a three goals. 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 versus Luton.
He went on to make eighty-three league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, frequently being used as a wide defender – and occasionally in attack as a number 10 – demonstrating his versatility and flexibility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
With his ability to carry the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to City and England attacking midfielder Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the second tier’s young player of the season award, was selected in the league’s team of the year and was named the club’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I believe he will represent his country and I think he will progress to the top of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated last year.
Within three months after, he joined the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of £25m.
Getting his big move
The midfielder endured a difficult debut campaign with the Cherries, waiting until the autumn to earn his Premier League debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then finding himself in and out of the team.
His following season was just as disrupted, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for nearly several months.
“I had a decent run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.
“That felt like yet another setback and the year was shaping up as quite a terrible start for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by England for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in regain fitness in time.
He started five of the England U21s’ six games as they claimed victory in the tournament in the host nation, developing a strong understanding in the middle with his teammate, who in turn has gone on to impress for the senior side under the national coach.
And he has begun this season just as impressively for his club, playing in all matches to help them to fifth in the standings.
“To play for the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my career,” Scott said recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for the game, getting better every day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”
