Back when the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 fans in 2019, his manager at the time assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
This prediction turned out to be something of an understatement.
Now aged 22 and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the midfielder has earned his maiden summons to the full Three Lions squad.
His rise from non-league prodigy to possible international star is a proper throwback, a story rarely told in the modern game.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was no chance of becoming a pro footballer, let alone playing in the top division and representing the national team as well,” the player stated in a recent interview.
“It’s been a crazy five or six years of my life, and circumstances have transformed completely for me and my family.”
So how did Alex Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself at this level?
Learning in the lower tiers
Scott’s path in football has been far from a typical one.
He was part of four and a half years in the Saints’ academy setup from the age of eight, leaving school early each Friday to fly from his island home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could attend training and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before he turned 13, however, they decided to let him go. The Cherries gave him an option 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 the island and play for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over every week was becoming overwhelming,” he explained.
“I just wanted to chill at home with my friends at the weekend because I had missed nearly four and a half years of doing that. Getting that slice of youth back was something I definitely required.
“Building a bit of self-belief by coming back and playing island football was massive for me. That proved to be perhaps one of the most important things that led me to this point.”
At the age of 16, the teenager made history as the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a 57th-minute substitute in their Isthmian League match at the opposition.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could include him in the team because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss the coach stated at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the way he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Second-tier club the Robins – owned by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring his development after an impressive start in adult football and arranged a try-out in December 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” said Scott. “The first day I joined the youth team, the second day I was with the senior squad, which was a total surprise.
“On the Wednesday I played for his local side in the capital, returned home and on the Friday, I took the field for the youth team and scored a hat-trick. It was almost a certainty for me to sign a deal.”
In just 18 months, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut against the Hatters.
Scott made eighty-three league outings for the Robins while still a teenager, often being used as a wing-back – and sometimes further forward as a number 10 – such was his adaptability and versatility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
With his skill to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and England attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the second tier’s best young player award, was selected in the division’s team of the year and was voted Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I think he’ll play for England and I’m sure he will progress to the pinnacle of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated previously.
Less than 90 days later, he signed for the Cherries for a understood transfer fee of £25m.
Securing his big move
The midfielder endured a challenging first season with the club, having to wait until October to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.
His following season was equally affected, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for almost several months.
“There was a decent run at the close of last season, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” said Scott.
“That felt like almost another setback and the year was shaping up as a pretty bad year for the first half.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to regain fitness in time.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six games as they claimed victory in the competition in the host nation, forming a strong understanding in the middle with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun the current campaign equally as impressively for his club, featuring in every game to guide them to the top five in the table.
“Representing the national team would be one of the proudest moments of my life,” Scott said recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, maintain my love for football, improving day on day, and hopefully I impress the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
