When the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 fans in 2019, his manager back then assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
This prediction proved to be something of an underestimation.
Today 22 years old and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the midfielder has earned his maiden call-up to the senior England squad.
His rise from non-league prodigy to potential international star is a true throwback, a story seldom told in the modern game.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was no chance of making it as a professional football player, never mind playing in the top division and playing for the national team as well,” Scott stated in a recent interview.
“It’s been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have transformed completely for me and my family.”
So in what way did Alex Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself here?
Learning in non-league
Scott’s path in football has not been a typical one.
He was part of four and a half years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, skipping school every Friday to fly from his island home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could train and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Before he turned 13, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth were willing to offer Scott an opportunity and he remained with them for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind was not in it.
Rather, he opted to stay on Guernsey and turn out for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and flying over every week was becoming a bit too much,” he explained.
“All I desired to relax at home with my friends at weekends because I missed nearly four and a half years of that experience. To have that slice of childhood again was a thing I really required.
“Building a bit of self-belief by coming back and taking part in island football was huge for me. It was probably the most crucial factors that got me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, Scott became the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a second-half substitute in their Isthmian League fixture at the opposition.
“I had sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the side because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss the coach commented back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the way he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the professional game
Championship side Bristol City – chaired by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking his development after an impressive beginning in men’s football and arranged a try-out in late 2019.
“It was hectic,” recalled Scott. “Day one I joined the youth team, the second day I was with the senior squad, which was a total shock.
“On the Wednesday I featured for Guernsey FC in the capital, travelled back and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s 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 making his senior debut against Luton.
He made 83 league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, often being deployed as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – such was his versatility and flexibility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was their best player.
Thanks to his ability to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team attacking midfielder Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he claimed the second tier’s young player of the season honour, was chosen in the division’s best XI and was voted the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I think he will represent England and I think he’ll go on to the top of the game,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s manager at Ashton Gate, stated previously.
Within three months later, he signed for the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his big move
The midfielder endured a difficult first season with the club, waiting until October to make his Premier League debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.
His following season was just as disrupted, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for almost several months.
“I had a decent run at the end of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained he.
“That felt like almost another setback and it was shaping up as quite a terrible year for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in get himself fit in time.
He started five of the England U21s’ six games as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, forming a strong partnership in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has excelled for the first team under the national coach.
And he has begun this season just as strongly for his club, featuring in all matches to help them to the top five in the table.
“To play for the England senior team would be among the most special occasions of my career,” Scott stated recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for football, improving every day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
