When the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports before just 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
This prediction turned out to be a bit of an understatement.
Today 22 years old and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the playmaker has earned his maiden summons to the full England team.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to potential England player is a true throwback, a journey seldom seen in the modern era.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of making it as a professional football player, let alone playing in the top division and representing England as well,” Scott said in a recent interview.
“It’s been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have transformed completely for me and my family.”
But in what way did Alex Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up at this level?
Learning in non-league
His football journey has been far from a typical one.
He spent over four years in Southampton’s academy setup starting at eight, skipping school each Friday to fly from his island home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could attend training and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to he turned 13, however, they decided to let him go. The Cherries were willing to offer him an option and he remained with them for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, 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 becoming a bit too much,” he explained.
“All I desired to chill at my home with my friends at the weekend because I had missed almost four and a half years of that experience. To have that little bit of childhood again was something I really needed.
“To gain some confidence by coming back and playing local football was massive for me. It was perhaps the most crucial factors that got me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, Scott made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he came on as a second-half substitute in their league match at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could get him in the side because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance commented at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the professional game
Second-tier club the Robins – chaired by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring his development after an impressive beginning in men’s football and arranged a trial in December 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” recalled the player. “Day one I trained with the youth team, the next day I trained with the first team, which was a complete shock.
“On the Wednesday I featured for his local side in London, returned home and on the Friday, I took the field for the youth team and netted a three goals. It was almost a done deal for me to sign a deal.”
In just 18 months, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut against the Hatters.
Scott went on to make 83 league outings for the club while in his teens, often being used as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – demonstrating his adaptability and versatility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was their best player.
Thanks to his ability to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to City and England playmaker Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he won the EFL Championship’s young player of the season honour, was chosen in the league’s team of the year and was named Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I think he’ll play for his country and I’m sure he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the sport,” his former manager, the player’s manager at Ashton Gate, stated previously.
Less than three months later, he signed for the Cherries for a reported 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 top-flight debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then being in and out of the starting XI.
His following season was equally affected, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for almost four months.
“There was a decent run at the end of last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.
“It was yet another setback and the year was shaping up as a pretty bad year for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in get himself fit for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six games 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 the national coach.
And he has begun the current campaign just as impressively for his club, featuring in every game to help them to fifth in the table.
“Representing the national team would be one of the proudest moments of my career,” Scott stated recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, keep enjoying the game, getting better day on day, and with luck I impress the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
