When the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his manager back then assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
This prediction proved to be something of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the midfielder has just received his maiden call-up to the senior England team.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to possible England player is a proper blast from the past, a story rarely seen in the modern era.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of making it as a professional football player, never mind playing in the Premier League and playing for England as well,” Scott stated in a recent interview.
“It has been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and things have changed completely for me and my loved ones.”
So how did Alex Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up at this level?
Learning in the lower tiers
Scott’s path in football has not been a typical one.
He was part of over four years in Southampton’s youth system from the age of eight, skipping school each Friday to fly from his island home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could train and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before his 13th birthday, however, they released him. Bournemouth gave him an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart was not in it.
Instead, he chose to stay on the island and play for his local team.
“My form had dipped and traveling every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he explained.
“I just wanted to relax at my home with my friends at the weekend because I had missed nearly several years of that experience. To have that slice of childhood back was a thing I definitely needed.
“Building a bit of self-belief by returning and playing local football was massive for me. It was perhaps one of the most important factors that got me to this point.”
At the age of 16, the teenager became the youngest player in the club’s records when he was introduced as a second-half replacement in their league match at Phoenix Sports.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could include him in the side because his talent is obvious,” manager Tony Vance stated at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the way he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Second-tier club Bristol City – owned by islander their owner – had been tracking his development after an promising start in adult football and arranged a trial in late 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” said the player. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the second day I trained with the first team, which was a total surprise.
“On the Wednesday I played for his local side in London, returned home and on the Friday, I played for the youth team and scored a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
Within 18 months, even well before his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut against Luton.
He went on to make 83 league outings for the club while still a teenager, often being used as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his adaptability and flexibility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
With his ability to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and national team attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he claimed the second tier’s young player of the season award, was chosen in the league’s team of the year and was voted the club’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I believe he will represent England and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the sport,” his former manager, Scott’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.
Within three months later, he joined the Cherries for a understood fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his big move
Scott experienced a difficult first season with the Cherries, waiting until the autumn to make his Premier League debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then being inconsistent of the team.
His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for nearly several months.
“I had a decent run at the close of last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.
“That felt like yet another obstacle and it was shaping up as quite a terrible start for the first half.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in regain fitness in time.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six games as they claimed victory in the competition in the host nation, forming a strong partnership in the middle with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun the current campaign just 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 among the most special moments of my career,” Scott said recently.
“It’s down to me, I must keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, getting better every day, and with luck I impress the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
