Back when Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his manager at the time assured, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
This statement proved to be something of an underestimation.
Today 22 years old and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the midfielder has just received his first summons to the full England squad.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to possible international star is a true blast from the past, a journey seldom told in the modern era.
What’s next? 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 England too,” the player stated in a recent interview.
“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have transformed drastically for me and my loved ones.”
But in what way did Alex Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself at this level?
Learning in non-league
Scott’s path in football has been far from a conventional one.
He spent four and a half years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, skipping school each Friday to travel by air from his island home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could attend training and play for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to he turned 13, though, they decided to let him go. The Cherries gave Scott an option and he remained with them for a time, but, as he later admitted, his heart was not in it.
Rather, he chose to stay on Guernsey and turn out for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over every week was becoming overwhelming,” he explained.
“I just wanted to relax at home with my mates at weekends because I had missed nearly several years of that experience. To have that little bit of childhood again was something I definitely required.
“To gain a bit of confidence by returning and playing island football was huge for me. It was perhaps the most crucial things that led me to this point.”
At the age of 16, Scott made history as the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a second-half substitute in their league match at Phoenix Sports.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the side because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss the coach stated back then.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the way he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the professional game
Second-tier club Bristol City – chaired by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking Scott’s early progress after an impressive beginning in adult football and arranged a trial in late 2019.
“It was chaos,” recalled Scott. “The first day I joined the under-18s, the next day I trained with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.
“On the Wednesday I featured for his local side in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I played for the youth team and scored a three goals. From that point a done deal for me to sign a deal.”
In just 18 months, still well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut against the Hatters.
Scott went on to make eighty-three league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, frequently being deployed as a wide defender – and sometimes in attack as a number 10 – such was his adaptability and flexibility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his skill 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 Manchester City and national team attacking midfielder Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he claimed the EFL Championship’s best young player award, was chosen in the division’s best XI and was voted the club’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I believe he will represent his country and I think he’ll go on to the top of the game,” his former manager, the player’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated last year.
Within three months later, he joined the Cherries for a understood fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his big move
The midfielder experienced a difficult first season with the Cherries, waiting until the autumn to make his top-flight debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then being in and out of the team.
His following season was just as disrupted, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for nearly several months.
“I had a decent run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained he.
“It was almost another setback and the year was turning out to be quite a terrible start for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by England for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in regain fitness for the tournament.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six games as they went on to win the competition in Slovakia, forming a formidable understanding in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has gone on to impress for the first team with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun this season equally as impressively for his club, playing in every game to help them to the top five in the standings.
“Representing the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my career,” Scott said earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I must continue developing as a player, keep enjoying football, getting better day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
