Back when Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports before just 55 fans in 2019, his manager back then assured, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
That prediction proved to be something of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the playmaker has earned his first call-up to the senior England squad.
His rise from non-league prodigy to possible international star is a true blast from the past, a story seldom seen in the modern game.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was no chance of becoming a pro footballer, let alone playing in the top division and representing England as well,” Scott stated previously.
“It has been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and things have changed drastically for me and my family.”
But how did Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself here?
Developing in non-league
Scott’s path in football has been far from a typical one.
He spent four and a half years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, leaving school early each Friday to travel by air from his island home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could train and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before his 13th birthday, however, they released him. Bournemouth were willing to offer Scott an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, as he later admitted, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he opted to remain on the island and play for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over every week was becoming overwhelming,” he recalled.
“All I desired to chill at my home with my friends at weekends because I had missed almost several years of that experience. Getting that slice of youth again was something I definitely needed.
“Building some self-belief by coming back and playing island football was huge for me. It was perhaps one of the most important factors that led me to this point.”
When he was just 16, Scott made history as the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a 57th-minute replacement in their league match at the opposition.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could include him in the side because his talent is obvious,” manager Tony Vance stated at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the way he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Championship side the Robins – owned by islander their owner – had been monitoring Scott’s development after an impressive start in adult football and gave him a try-out in late 2019.
“It was hectic,” said Scott. “The first day I joined the under-18s, the second day I was with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.
“Midweek I played for Guernsey FC in London, travelled back and by Friday, I played for the youth team and scored a hat-trick. From that point a certainty for me to sign a deal.”
Within a year and a half, even well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut versus Luton.
He went on to make 83 league appearances for the club while still a teenager, frequently being deployed as a wing-back – and sometimes in attack as a attacking midfielder – such was his adaptability and versatility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was their best player.
Thanks to his skill to drive the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to City and national team attacking midfielder Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he won the second tier’s young player of the season award, was selected in the league’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’m sure he will progress to the pinnacle of the sport,” his former manager, Scott’s manager at Ashton Gate, stated last year.
Within 90 days after, he signed for the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of £25m.
Getting his major transfer
The midfielder endured a difficult first season with the Cherries, having to wait until the autumn to make his Premier League debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then finding himself in and out of the team.
His second campaign was equally disrupted, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for nearly four months.
“There was quite a good 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 it was shaping up as a pretty bad year for the first half.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the U21 Euros – and managed to get himself fit in time.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six games as they went on to win the competition in the host nation, developing a strong understanding in midfield with his teammate, who in turn has gone on to impress for the first team with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun the current campaign just as impressively for his club, playing in all matches to help them to fifth in the standings.
“To play for the England senior team would be among the most special moments of my career,” Scott said recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I must continue developing as a player, keep enjoying football, getting better every day, and with luck I impress the national coach and get my chance.”
