When Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager at the time assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
This prediction turned out to be a bit of an understatement.
Now 22 years old and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the midfielder has just received his first call-up to the full Three Lions team.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to possible England player is a true blast from the past, a story seldom told in the modern game.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a professional football player, let alone featuring in the top division and representing the national team too,” Scott said previously.
“It has been a crazy five or six years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for me and my family.”
So in what way did Alex Scott, known fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up here?
Learning in non-league
His football journey has not been a conventional one.
He was part of over four years in Southampton’s academy setup starting at eight, leaving school early every Friday to travel by air from his island home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could attend training and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Before he turned 13, though, they released him. Bournemouth were willing to offer Scott an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart was not in it.
Rather, he opted to remain on the island and turn out for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and traveling weekly was starting to feel a bit too much,” he explained.
“I just wanted to chill at home with my mates at weekends because I had missed almost several years of doing that. To have that slice of youth back was a thing I really needed.
“To gain some confidence by returning and taking part in local football was huge for me. It was perhaps the most crucial factors that got me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, the teenager made history as the youngest player in the club’s records when he was introduced as a 57th-minute substitute in their Isthmian League fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the side because his talent is obvious,” manager 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 a class act.”
Returning to the professional game
Second-tier club Bristol City – owned by Guernsey resident their owner – had been monitoring Scott’s development after an impressive beginning in men’s football and arranged a trial in December 2019.
“It was chaos,” recalled Scott. “The first day I joined the youth team, the next day I trained with the senior squad, which was a complete shock.
“On the Wednesday I played for his local side in London, returned home and on the Friday, I took the field for the youth team and scored a three goals. From that point a done deal for me to sign a deal.”
Within 18 months, still well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut against Luton.
He went on to make eighty-three league outings for the Robins while still a teenager, often being used as a wide defender – and sometimes further forward as a number 10 – such was his adaptability and versatility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
With his skill to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he claimed the EFL Championship’s best young player honour, was chosen in the division’s team of the year and was voted Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I believe he’ll play for his country and I think he will progress to the pinnacle of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.
Less than 90 days after, he signed for the Cherries for a reported fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his big move
The midfielder endured a difficult debut campaign with the Cherries, having to wait until October to earn his top-flight debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then finding himself inconsistent of the team.
His second campaign was equally disrupted, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for almost several months.
“There was a decent run at the close of last season, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said Scott.
“That felt like almost another obstacle and it was turning out to be quite a terrible start for the first half.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to get himself fit in time.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, forming a formidable understanding in midfield with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the first team under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun this season just as impressively for his club, featuring in all matches 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 life,” the player stated recently.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, maintain my love for football, getting better day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”
