When the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
That statement turned out to be something of an understatement.
Now 22 years old and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the playmaker has just received his first call-up to the full Three Lions squad.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to potential England player is a proper throwback, a story rarely seen in the modern game.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a professional football player, never mind featuring in the Premier League and representing the national team as well,” Scott said in a recent interview.
“It has been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and things have changed completely for me and my family.”
But in what way did Alex Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself here?
Developing in non-league
His path in football has not been a conventional one.
He was part of four and a half years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, leaving school early every Friday to fly from his island home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could train and play for the club’s academy sides.
Before he turned 13, though, they decided to let him go. The Cherries gave Scott an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart was not in it.
Instead, he chose to stay on the island and play for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling weekly was becoming a bit too much,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to chill at my home with my friends at weekends because I had missed almost four and a half years of that experience. To have that little bit of youth back was a thing I definitely needed.
“Building a bit of self-belief by returning and playing local football was massive for me. It was probably the most crucial things that got me to this point.”
At the age of 16, the teenager made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a second-half replacement in their Isthmian League fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the side because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss the coach stated back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the way he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Second-tier club Bristol City – owned by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring Scott’s early progress after an impressive start in adult football and arranged a trial in late 2019.
“It was chaos,” recalled the player. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the second day I trained with the senior squad, which was a total surprise.
“Midweek I featured for his local side in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and netted a hat-trick. It was almost a done deal for me to sign a contract.”
In just 18 months, still well before his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut against Luton.
He made 83 league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, often being deployed as a wide defender – and sometimes further forward as a number 10 – such was his adaptability and flexibility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was their best player.
With his skill to drive the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to City and England attacking midfielder Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the second tier’s young player of the season honour, was selected in the league’s best XI and was voted 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,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.
Within 90 days after, he joined the Cherries for a reported fee of £25m.
Getting his big move
The midfielder experienced a challenging first season with the Cherries, having to wait until the autumn to make his Premier League debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then finding himself inconsistent of the starting XI.
His following season was equally affected, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for almost four months.
“I had quite a good run at the end of last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” said he.
“That felt like almost another obstacle and it was shaping up as a pretty bad year for the first half.”
But he was then called up by England for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in get himself fit for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six games as they claimed victory in the competition in the host nation, developing a formidable understanding in midfield with his teammate, who in turn has gone on to impress for the first team with the national coach.
And he has started the current campaign just as impressively for his club, featuring in every game to guide them to the top five in the table.
“To play for the national team would be among the most special occasions of my career,” Scott said recently.
“It’s down to me, I must keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for football, improving day on day, and hopefully I impress the England manager and get my chance.”
