When Alex Scott made his local team 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.”
That statement turned out to be a bit of an understatement.
Today 22 years old and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has just received his maiden summons to the full Three Lions team.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to possible England player is a true throwback, a story seldom told in the modern era.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of making it as a pro footballer, never mind playing in the Premier League and playing for England as well,” Scott stated in a recent interview.
“It’s been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have transformed drastically for myself and my loved ones.”
But in what way did Alex Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up here?
Developing in the lower tiers
Scott’s path in football has been far from a conventional one.
He was part of over four years in Southampton’s academy setup starting at eight, skipping school each Friday to travel by air from his island home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could attend training and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to he turned 13, though, they released him. The Cherries gave him 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 remain on the island and play for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to relax at my home with my mates at the weekend because I missed almost four and a half years of doing that. To have that little bit of childhood back was something I definitely needed.
“To gain a bit of self-belief by coming back and playing local football was huge for me. It was perhaps the most crucial things that got me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, the teenager became the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a second-half replacement in their Isthmian League fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could include him in the team because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance commented back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the manner he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Second-tier club Bristol City – owned by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking his early progress after an promising beginning in men’s football and gave him a try-out in late 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled the player. “Day one I trained with the under-18s, the next day I trained with the first team, 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 netted a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to sign a contract.”
Within 18 months, even well before his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut against the Hatters.
Scott went on to make 83 league outings for the Robins while still a teenager, often being deployed as a wide defender – and sometimes in attack as a attacking midfielder – such was his adaptability 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 earned the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and national team attacking midfielder Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the EFL Championship’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’ll play for England and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the game,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s boss at the club, stated previously.
Within three months after, he joined the Cherries for a understood transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his big move
The midfielder endured a difficult debut campaign with the Cherries, having to wait until October to earn his top-flight debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then being in and out of the team.
His second campaign was equally disrupted, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for almost four months.
“There was a decent run at the end of last season, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said he.
“That felt like yet another obstacle and it was turning out to be a pretty bad start for the first half.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to get himself fit for the tournament.
He started five of the England U21s’ six matches as they went on to win the competition in Slovakia, forming a strong partnership in midfield with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the first team under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun the current campaign equally as impressively for his club, featuring in every game to help them to fifth in the table.
“To play for the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my life,” the player said earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to keep progressing as a player, keep enjoying the game, improving every day, and with luck I impress the England manager and get my chance.”
