When the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 fans in 2019, his coach at the time predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
That prediction proved to be something of an underestimation.
Today aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has earned his maiden call-up to the senior Three Lions team.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to potential international star is a proper throwback, a story seldom seen in the modern era.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of making it as a pro footballer, never mind playing in the top division and representing the national team too,” Scott said in a recent interview.
“It has been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for myself and my loved ones.”
So how did Alex Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up here?
Learning in the lower tiers
His football journey has not been a typical one.
He spent four and a half years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, skipping school each Friday to fly from his island home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could train and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to his 13th birthday, though, they released him. The Cherries gave him an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, as he later admitted, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he opted to remain on the island and turn out for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling weekly was starting to feel a bit too much,” he explained.
“I just wanted to chill at my home with my mates at the weekend because I had missed almost several years of that experience. To have that slice of youth again was something I definitely needed.
“To gain some self-belief by coming back and playing local football was huge for me. It was probably one of the most important factors that got me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, the teenager made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a 57th-minute replacement in their league fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the team because he’s that good,” manager the coach stated at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the manner he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Championship side Bristol City – chaired by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring his development after an impressive start in adult football and arranged a trial in December 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled the player. “Day one I trained with the youth team, the second day I trained with the senior squad, which was a complete shock.
“On the Wednesday I featured for his local side in the capital, travelled back and on the Friday, I played for the youth team and netted a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
Within a year and a half, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut versus Luton.
He went on to make 83 league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, often being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally in attack as a number 10 – demonstrating his adaptability and flexibility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
With his skill to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he claimed the second tier’s best young player honour, was chosen in the league’s team of the year and was voted the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I believe he will represent England and I’m sure he will progress to the pinnacle of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated previously.
Less than 90 days later, he signed for the Cherries for a reported fee of £25m.
Securing his big move
The midfielder endured a difficult first season with the club, having to wait until the autumn to earn his Premier League debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then being inconsistent of the team.
His second campaign was equally disrupted, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for nearly several months.
“There was a decent run at the close of last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained he.
“That felt like yet another setback and the year was turning out to be quite a terrible year for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to regain fitness in time.
He started five of the England U21s’ six matches as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, forming a strong partnership in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has gone on to impress for the first team under the national coach.
And he has begun this season just as impressively for Bournemouth, 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,” the player stated earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to keep progressing as a player, keep enjoying the game, getting better every day, and hopefully I impress the national coach and get my chance.”
