Back when the young midfielder made his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then assured, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
That prediction turned out to be a bit of an understatement.
Now 22 years old and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the playmaker has just received his maiden call-up to the full Three Lions team.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to potential international star is a true blast from the past, a journey seldom told in the modern era.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was no chance of becoming a professional football player, let alone playing in the top division and representing the national team too,” Scott said previously.
“It has been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and things have changed completely for myself and my family.”
But how did Alex Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up here?
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 Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, leaving school early each Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could attend training and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before he turned 13, though, they released him. The Cherries were willing to offer him an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind was not in it.
Instead, he chose to stay on Guernsey and turn out for his local team.
“My form had dipped and flying over weekly was starting to feel overwhelming,” he explained.
“All I desired to chill at my home with my mates at the weekend because I missed almost four and a half years of that experience. Getting that little bit of childhood back was a thing I definitely required.
“Building some self-belief by returning and taking part in island football was massive for me. That proved to be perhaps the most crucial things that led me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, the teenager made history as the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a second-half substitute in their league fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could include him in the team because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss the coach commented at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, 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 monitoring Scott’s early progress after an promising beginning in men’s football and gave him a try-out in late 2019.
“It was hectic,” said the player. “Day one I trained with the under-18s, the second day I was with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.
“Midweek I featured for his local side in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I played for the youth team and scored a hat-trick. It was almost a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
In just a year and a half, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut against Luton.
Scott made 83 league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, often being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his versatility and versatility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
With his ability to carry the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the second tier’s young player of the season award, was selected in the division’s best XI and was voted the club’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I believe he’ll play for his country and I’m sure he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the sport,” his former manager, Scott’s manager at Ashton Gate, stated previously.
Less than three months later, he signed for the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his major transfer
The midfielder endured a challenging debut campaign with the club, having to wait until the autumn to make his Premier League debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then being in and out of the starting XI.
His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a surgery which sidelined him 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,” explained Scott.
“It was yet another obstacle and it was turning out to be quite a terrible start for the first half.”
But he was then selected by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to regain fitness for the tournament.
He started five of the England U21s’ six games as they went on to win the competition in Slovakia, developing a strong partnership in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who himself has excelled for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun this season equally as strongly for his club, featuring in every game to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“Representing the England senior team would be one of the proudest occasions of my career,” Scott said earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I must continue developing as a footballer, maintain my love for the game, improving day on day, and hopefully I impress the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
