Back when Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager back then assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
That prediction turned out to be a bit of an underestimation.
Today aged 22 and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the midfielder has just received his maiden call-up to the senior England team.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to potential international star is a proper throwback, a story seldom told in the modern era.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was no chance of becoming a professional football player, let alone playing in the Premier League and playing for England too,” Scott stated in a recent interview.
“It has been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have transformed drastically for myself and my loved ones.”
So in what way did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself here?
Learning in the lower tiers
His path in football has been far from a conventional one.
He was part of four and a half years in the Saints’ youth system starting at eight, skipping school every Friday to travel by air from his island home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could attend training and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before his 13th birthday, though, they released him. 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 wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he chose to stay on the island and play for his local team.
“My form had dipped and traveling every week was becoming 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 that experience. Getting that slice of youth again was something I really required.
“To gain some self-belief by returning and playing island football was huge for me. It was probably one of the most important factors that led me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, Scott made history as the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a 57th-minute substitute in their league fixture at the opposition.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could include him in the side because his talent is obvious,” manager the coach commented at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his possession 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 the Robins – chaired by islander their owner – had been tracking Scott’s development after an impressive beginning in adult football and arranged a trial in late 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled Scott. “Day one I trained with the under-18s, the second day I was with the first team, which was a total surprise.
“On the Wednesday I played for his local side in the capital, travelled back 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 contract.”
Within a year and a half, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut against the Hatters.
He went on to make 83 league outings for the Robins while in his teens, often being deployed as a wing-back – and sometimes further forward as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his versatility and flexibility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was their best player.
With his skill to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he won the second tier’s young player of the season honour, was chosen in the league’s best XI and was voted Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I think he will represent England and I think he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at the club, remarked previously.
Less than 90 days after, he joined the Cherries for a understood fee of £25m.
Getting his big move
Scott endured a difficult first season with the club, waiting until the autumn to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then being inconsistent of the team.
His following season was equally affected, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for almost four months.
“I had a decent run at the close of last season, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said Scott.
“That felt like yet another setback and it was shaping up as quite a terrible start for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in get himself fit in time.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they claimed victory in the tournament in Slovakia, developing a strong understanding in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has gone on to impress for the senior side with the national coach.
And he has started the current campaign equally as impressively for his club, featuring in every game to guide them to fifth in the table.
“Representing the national team would be among the most special moments of my life,” the player stated recently.
“It’s down to me, I must continue developing as a footballer, maintain my love for football, improving day on day, and hopefully I impress the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
