When the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before just 55 spectators in 2019, his manager at the time predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
This statement proved to be something of an understatement.
Today 22 years old and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the playmaker has just received his first summons to the full England team.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to possible England player is a true 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, never mind playing in the top division and representing England as well,” the player said previously.
“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and things have changed drastically for me and my family.”
But in what way did Alex Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself at this level?
Developing in the lower tiers
Scott’s path in football has not been a conventional one.
He spent four and a half 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 south coast so he could attend training and play for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they released him. The Cherries gave him an opportunity and he remained with them for a time, but, as he later admitted, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he opted to stay on Guernsey and play for his local team.
“My form had dipped and traveling weekly was starting to feel a bit too much,” he explained.
“I just wanted to chill at home with my mates at the weekend because I missed almost several years of doing that. Getting that little bit of childhood back was a thing I definitely needed.
“Building some confidence by returning and taking part in local football was massive for me. It was probably the most crucial things that got me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, the teenager became the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a 57th-minute replacement in their league match at Phoenix Sports.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could include him in the team because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss the coach commented back then.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the way he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the professional game
Second-tier club Bristol City – chaired by islander their owner – had been monitoring his development after an promising start in men’s football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” recalled the player. “The first day I joined the youth team, the second day I was with the first team, which was a total surprise.
“Midweek I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, travelled back and on the Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a hat-trick. From that point 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 senior debut against Luton.
He went on to make eighty-three league appearances for the club while still a teenager, often being deployed as a wing-back – and sometimes in attack as a number 10 – demonstrating his adaptability and versatility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was their best player.
Thanks to his ability to carry the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to City and England playmaker Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he won the EFL Championship’s best young player honour, was selected in the league’s best XI 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 will progress to the pinnacle of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s manager at the club, stated last year.
Within 90 days later, he joined the Cherries for a reported fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his major transfer
Scott experienced a challenging first season with the club, having to wait until October to make his Premier League debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then finding himself in and out of the starting XI.
His second campaign was equally disrupted, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for almost several months.
“I had quite a good run at the end of last season, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained Scott.
“That felt like almost another obstacle and the year was shaping up as 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 succeeded in get himself fit for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six games as they went on to win the tournament in the host nation, developing a strong partnership in the middle with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the first team with the national coach.
And he has started this season equally as strongly for his club, featuring in all matches to help them to the top five in the standings.
“Representing the England senior team would be among the most special moments of my career,” the player stated earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I must continue developing 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.”
