Back when Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before just 55 fans in 2019, his manager at the time assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
This statement proved to be a bit of an underestimation.
Today aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the midfielder has earned his maiden summons to the full England team.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to potential England player is a proper throwback, a story rarely seen in the modern game.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of becoming a professional football player, never mind featuring in the top division and playing for the national team too,” Scott stated in a recent interview.
“It has been a incredible five or six years of my life, and things have transformed completely for myself and my family.”
But in what way did Alex Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself at this level?
Developing in the lower tiers
Scott’s path in football has been far from a typical one.
He was part of over four years in the Saints’ youth system from the age of eight, leaving school early every Friday to fly from his island home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could attend training and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before he turned 13, however, they decided to let him go. The Cherries were willing to offer him an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, as he later admitted, his mind was not in it.
Rather, he chose to remain on Guernsey and play for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over weekly was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to chill at home with my mates at weekends because I missed nearly four and a half years of that experience. To have that little bit of youth back was something I really needed.
“Building some self-belief by coming back and playing local football was huge for me. It was probably one of the most important things that led me where I am today.”
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 substitute in their league match at the opposition.
“I had sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could include him in the team because his talent is obvious,” manager the coach commented at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the way he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Second-tier club Bristol City – chaired by islander their owner – had been tracking Scott’s early progress after an promising start in men’s football and arranged a trial in December 2019.
“The whole experience 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 his local side in London, returned home and by Friday, I played for the youth team and netted a hat-trick. It was almost a done deal for me to sign a contract.”
In just a year and a half, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut versus Luton.
Scott went on to make eighty-three league appearances for the club while in his teens, often being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally in attack as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his versatility and versatility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his skill to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to City and national team playmaker Jack 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 named the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I believe he will represent his country and I’m sure he’ll go on to the top of the game,” his former manager, the player’s boss at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.
Less than 90 days later, he joined the Cherries for a reported fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his major transfer
Scott experienced a difficult debut campaign with the club, waiting until the autumn to earn his top-flight debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then finding himself in and out of the starting XI.
His following season was equally affected, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for almost four months.
“I had a decent run at the end of last season, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” said Scott.
“It was almost another obstacle and it was turning out to be a pretty bad year for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by England for the U21 Euros – and managed to regain fitness in time.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they claimed victory in the competition in Slovakia, forming a formidable partnership in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has excelled for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun this season just as impressively for his club, playing in all matches to help them to fifth in the table.
“Representing the national team would be among the most special occasions of my career,” Scott said recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, maintain my love for the game, getting better every day, and with luck I impress the England manager and get my chance.”
