When the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
That prediction proved to be something of an understatement.
Today aged 22 and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the playmaker has just received his maiden call-up to the senior England squad.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to potential England player is a proper throwback, a story seldom told in the modern era.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of making it as a pro footballer, let alone playing in the Premier League and playing for England as well,” Scott said previously.
“It has been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and things have changed completely for myself and my loved ones.”
But how did Alex Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself at this level?
Developing in non-league
Scott’s path in football has not been a typical one.
He was part of four and a half years in Southampton’s youth system starting at eight, skipping school each Friday to fly from his home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could attend training and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to he turned 13, though, they released him. The Cherries gave him an opportunity and he remained with them for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he opted to remain on the island and play for his local team.
“My form had dipped and traveling weekly was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.
“All I desired to chill at home with my mates at the weekend because I had missed almost several years of doing that. To have that slice of childhood back was something I really needed.
“Building a bit of self-belief by returning and taking part in island football was massive for me. It was probably the most crucial factors that got me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, Scott made history as the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a 57th-minute substitute in their league match at Phoenix Sports.
“I had sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could get him in the side because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance commented back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the manner he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Championship side the Robins – chaired by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking Scott’s early progress after an impressive beginning in men’s football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” said Scott. “The first day I trained with the under-18s, the next day I trained with the first team, which was a total shock.
“Midweek I played for his local side in London, travelled back and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a three goals. It was almost a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
Within 18 months, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut versus the Hatters.
He went on to make eighty-three league outings for the Robins while still a teenager, frequently being deployed as a wide defender – and sometimes in attack as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his versatility and flexibility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
With his ability to drive the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to City and national team attacking midfielder Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he won the EFL Championship’s best young player honour, was chosen in the league’s team of the year and was named the club’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I think he’ll play for England and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the sport,” his former manager, Scott’s manager at the club, remarked previously.
Within 90 days after, he signed for the Cherries for a understood fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his major transfer
The midfielder endured a challenging debut campaign with the club, waiting until October to make his Premier League debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then being inconsistent of the team.
His second campaign was just as disrupted, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for almost four months.
“I had quite a good run at the end of last season, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” said Scott.
“It was almost another obstacle and the year was turning out to be a pretty bad start for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to get himself fit for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six matches as they claimed victory in the tournament in the host nation, developing a formidable partnership in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who himself has excelled for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started this season equally as impressively for his club, playing in every game to guide them to the top five in the table.
“To play for the England senior 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 player, keep enjoying the game, getting better every day, and with luck I catch the eye of the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
