When the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his manager back then predicted, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
This prediction proved to be a bit of an underestimation.
Today 22 years old and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the playmaker has just received his first call-up to the full England squad.
His rise from non-league prodigy to potential England player is a true blast from the past, a journey seldom told in the modern game.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was no chance of becoming a professional football player, let alone playing in the Premier League and representing the national team as well,” the player said previously.
“It’s been a crazy five or six years of my life, and circumstances have changed completely for me and my loved ones.”
But in what way did Alex Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself here?
Learning in the lower tiers
His path in football has not been a conventional one.
He was part of four and a half years in Southampton’s academy setup starting at eight, leaving school early every Friday to travel by air from his home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could attend training and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth were willing to offer Scott an option and he remained with them for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he chose to stay on the island and play for his local team.
“My form had dipped and flying over weekly was starting to feel a bit too much,” he recalled.
“All I desired to chill at my home with my friends at the weekend because I missed nearly four and a half years of doing that. Getting that little bit of youth back was a thing I really required.
“Building a bit of self-belief by returning and taking part in island football was huge for me. That proved to be perhaps the most crucial things that led me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, the teenager made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a second-half substitute in their league fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I had sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the team because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss the coach commented back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the professional game
Championship side the Robins – chaired by islander their owner – had been monitoring Scott’s development after an promising start in adult football and gave him a try-out in late 2019.
“It was hectic,” recalled Scott. “Day one I trained with the youth team, the next day I trained with the first team, which was a complete shock.
“On the Wednesday I featured for Guernsey FC in the capital, travelled back 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 contract.”
In just 18 months, even well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut against the Hatters.
He made 83 league appearances for the club while in his teens, often being deployed as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his adaptability and versatility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was their best player.
Thanks to his skill to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and England playmaker Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he claimed the second tier’s best young player honour, was chosen in the division’s best XI and was voted the club’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I believe he’ll play for England and I’m sure he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s manager at the club, stated last year.
Within three months later, he signed for the Cherries for a understood transfer fee of £25m.
Securing his major transfer
Scott endured a difficult first season with the Cherries, waiting until the autumn to make his Premier League debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then being inconsistent of the team.
His following season was just as affected, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for almost several 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 Scott.
“That felt like almost another obstacle and it was shaping up as a pretty bad start for the first half.”
But he was then selected by England for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in get himself fit in time.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six matches as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, developing a formidable understanding in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who himself has gone on to impress for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun the current campaign equally as impressively for his club, playing in all matches to guide them to the top five in the table.
“Representing the national team would be among the most special moments of my career,” Scott stated earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying the game, improving every day, and with luck I catch the eye of the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
