Back when the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports before just 55 fans in 2019, his coach at the time assured, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
This statement proved to be something of an underestimation.
Today aged 22 and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the midfielder has just received his first call-up to the senior Three Lions squad.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to possible England player is a proper blast from the past, a story rarely told in the modern game.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of making it as a professional football player, let alone playing in the top division and representing the national team as well,” the player said in a recent interview.
“It has been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for myself and my family.”
But how did Alex Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up here?
Learning in the lower tiers
His path in football has not been a typical one.
He spent over four years in the Saints’ academy setup from the age of eight, leaving school early every Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could attend training and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Before his 13th birthday, though, they released him. The Cherries were willing to offer Scott an opportunity and he remained with them for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart was not in it.
Rather, he opted to remain on Guernsey and play for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he explained.
“All I desired to chill at home with my mates at weekends because I missed almost four and a half years of that experience. To have that slice of youth again was something I really required.
“Building a bit of self-belief by returning and playing island football was huge for me. It was probably the most crucial factors that led me to this point.”
When he was just 16, Scott made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a second-half replacement in their league match at the opposition.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the side because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance commented back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the way he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Championship side Bristol City – chaired by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking his development after an promising beginning in adult football and gave him a trial in late 2019.
“It was hectic,” recalled Scott. “Day one I trained with the under-18s, the next day I trained with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.
“Midweek I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a three goals. From that point a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
In just 18 months, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut versus the Hatters.
Scott went on to make 83 league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, frequently being used as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – such was his adaptability and flexibility. 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 earned the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the second tier’s young player of the season award, was selected in the league’s team of the year and was voted Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I think he’ll play for his country and I’m sure he’ll go on to the top of the game,” his former manager, Scott’s boss at the club, stated last year.
Within three months after, he joined the Cherries for a reported fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his big move
Scott endured a difficult first season with the Cherries, having to wait until the autumn to make his top-flight debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.
His following season was equally disrupted, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for almost 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 Scott.
“That felt like almost another setback and it was turning out to be a pretty bad start 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 for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six matches as they claimed victory in the competition in Slovakia, forming a formidable partnership in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who himself has gone on to impress for the first team under the national coach.
And he has started this season just as impressively for his club, playing in every game to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“Representing the national team would be one of the proudest occasions of my life,” the player stated earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, getting better day on day, and with luck I impress the national coach and get my chance.”
