Back when Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for 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 boy.”
This prediction turned out to be something of an understatement.
Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the playmaker has just received his first call-up to the senior Three Lions squad.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to potential international star is a proper throwback, a story seldom seen in the modern game.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was no chance of becoming a pro footballer, let alone featuring in the top division and representing the national team as well,” the player said previously.
“It has been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have changed drastically for myself and my family.”
But how did Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up at this level?
Learning in non-league
Scott’s football journey has not been a typical one.
He was part of four and a half years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, leaving school early each Friday to travel by air from his home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could attend training and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to he turned 13, however, 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 mind wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he opted to remain on the island and turn out for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling every week was becoming overwhelming,” he explained.
“All I desired to chill at my home with my friends at the weekend because I missed almost several years of doing that. Getting that little bit of childhood back was a thing I definitely required.
“To gain some self-belief by returning and taking part in island football was massive for me. It was probably the most crucial things that led me to this point.”
At the age of 16, Scott became the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a 57th-minute substitute in their league fixture at the opposition.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the team because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance stated at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the way he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Championship side Bristol City – chaired by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring Scott’s early progress after an promising beginning in adult football and arranged a try-out in December 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled Scott. “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 Guernsey FC in London, returned home and on the Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
Within 18 months, even well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut versus Luton.
Scott made eighty-three league appearances for the club while still a teenager, frequently being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his versatility and flexibility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
With his skill to drive the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to City and England attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he won the second tier’s young player of the season award, was selected in the division’s best XI and was voted Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I think he’ll play for England and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the game,” his former manager, the player’s manager at the club, remarked last year.
Within 90 days later, he joined the Cherries for a understood transfer fee of £25m.
Getting his big move
Scott experienced a challenging first season with the club, waiting until October to earn his Premier League debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then finding himself in and out of the starting XI.
His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for almost several months.
“I had quite a good run at the close of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” said Scott.
“It was yet 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 regain fitness for the tournament.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six games as they claimed victory in the tournament in the host nation, forming a formidable partnership in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has gone on to impress for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started the current campaign equally as impressively for his club, featuring in every game to help them to fifth in the standings.
“To play for the national team would be one of the proudest moments of my career,” Scott stated recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a footballer, maintain my love for the game, improving day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the national coach and get my chance.”
