When the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 spectators 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 underestimation.
Now aged 22 and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the midfielder has just received his first call-up to the full England team.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to potential England player is a true throwback, a story seldom told in the modern game.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was no chance of becoming a pro footballer, let alone featuring in the Premier League and representing the national team as well,” the player stated previously.
“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have changed completely for me and my family.”
So how did Alex Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself at this level?
Learning in the lower tiers
His path in football has not been a typical one.
He spent over four years in the Saints’ youth system starting at eight, leaving school early every Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could attend training and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to his 13th birthday, though, they released him. The Cherries gave Scott an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he opted to stay on Guernsey and turn out for his local team.
“My form had dipped and traveling every week was starting to feel a bit too much,” he explained.
“All I desired to chill at my home with my mates at the weekend because I missed nearly four and a half years of that experience. To have that slice of childhood back was something I definitely needed.
“Building some confidence by returning and playing local football was huge for me. It was perhaps one of the most important things that led me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, Scott became the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a 57th-minute substitute in their Isthmian League fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I had sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the team because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss the coach stated at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his retention 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 Bristol City – chaired by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking Scott’s development after an impressive start in adult football and arranged a trial in late 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” said Scott. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the second day I trained with the senior squad, which was a complete shock.
“Midweek I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, travelled back and on the Friday, I took the field for the youth team and netted a hat-trick. From that point a certainty for me to sign a deal.”
In just a year and a half, even well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut versus the Hatters.
He made eighty-three league appearances for the Robins while still a teenager, frequently being used as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – such was his versatility and flexibility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
With his ability to drive 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 national team playmaker Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he won the EFL Championship’s best young player honour, was chosen in the division’s best XI and was voted Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I believe he’ll play for his country and I think he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at the club, stated previously.
Less than three months after, he signed for the Cherries for a reported fee of £25m.
Securing his major transfer
The midfielder endured a challenging debut campaign with the Cherries, having to wait until the autumn to make his top-flight 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 ruled him out for nearly four months.
“There was quite a good run at the end of last season, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said he.
“That felt like almost another obstacle and it was turning out to be quite a terrible year for the first half.”
But he was then called up by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to get himself fit for the tournament.
He started five of the England U21s’ six matches as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, developing a strong partnership in midfield with his teammate, who himself has gone on to impress for the senior side under the national coach.
And he has started this season equally as impressively for Bournemouth, featuring in every game to help them to fifth in the table.
“To play for the national team would be among the most special moments of my life,” the player said earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for football, getting better day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
