Back when Alex Scott made his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
This prediction turned out to be something of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the playmaker has just received his first call-up to the full Three Lions squad.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to possible international star is a proper throwback, a journey seldom told in the modern era.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was no chance of becoming a professional football player, never mind playing in the Premier League and representing England too,” the player stated in a recent interview.
“It has been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have changed completely for myself 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
His path in football has been far from a conventional one.
He spent over four years in the Saints’ youth system from the age of eight, skipping school every Friday to fly from his island home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could attend training and play for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to he turned 13, however, they released him. The Cherries were willing to offer Scott an opportunity and he remained with them for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart was not in it.
Rather, he chose to stay on Guernsey and play for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over every week was becoming overwhelming,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to relax at home with my mates at the weekend because I had missed nearly several years of that experience. To have that slice of youth back was a thing I definitely required.
“Building some self-belief by coming back and taking part in local football was huge for me. It was probably one of the most important factors that led me to this point.”
At the age of 16, the teenager made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a second-half substitute in their league fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the team because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance commented back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the manner he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Second-tier club Bristol City – chaired by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking his development after an promising start in adult football and gave him a trial in December 2019.
“It was hectic,” said Scott. “Day one I joined the youth team, the second day I was with the first team, which was a total shock.
“Midweek I featured for his local side in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a hat-trick. It was almost a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
Within 18 months, still well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut versus Luton.
He went on to make 83 league outings for the Robins while still a teenager, frequently being deployed as a wing-back – and sometimes in attack as a attacking midfielder – such was his versatility and flexibility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was their best player.
With his ability to carry the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to City and England playmaker Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he claimed the second tier’s young player of the season honour, was selected in the league’s best XI and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, 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 manager at the club, stated last year.
Within three months later, he signed for the Cherries for a reported fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his major transfer
Scott endured a difficult first season with the club, having to wait until the autumn to earn his Premier League debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then being in and out of the starting XI.
His following season was equally disrupted, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for almost four months.
“I had quite a good run at the end of last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.
“That felt like almost another setback and the year was turning out to be a pretty bad year for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the U21 Euros – and managed to regain fitness for the tournament.
He started five of the England U21s’ six matches as they claimed victory in the competition in Slovakia, forming a strong partnership in the middle with his teammate, who in turn has gone on to impress for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started this season equally as strongly for his club, playing in every game to guide them to fifth in the standings.
“To play for the national team would be one of the proudest moments of my career,” Scott stated earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying the game, improving day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the national coach and get my chance.”
