Back when Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
This statement proved to be something of an understatement.
Today 22 years old and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the playmaker has earned his first call-up to the senior England team.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to potential England player 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 pro footballer, let alone featuring in the Premier League and playing for England as well,” the player stated in a recent interview.
“It has been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have transformed completely for myself and my loved ones.”
So in what way did Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself at this level?
Developing in non-league
His football journey has not been a conventional 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 feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before he turned 13, however, they decided to let him go. The Cherries were willing to offer Scott an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, as he later admitted, his heart was not in it.
Instead, he chose to remain on Guernsey and play for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling weekly was starting to feel overwhelming,” he explained.
“I just wanted to chill at my home with my mates at weekends because I missed almost several years of doing that. To have that slice of youth back was a thing I really required.
“Building a bit of confidence by coming back and taking part in island football was huge for me. That proved to be probably one of the most important factors that led me to this point.”
When he was just 16, Scott made history as the youngest player in the club’s records when he was introduced as a 57th-minute replacement in their league fixture at the opposition.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the team because he’s that good,” manager Tony Vance stated back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Second-tier club the Robins – chaired by islander their owner – had been tracking his development after an impressive start in adult football and gave him a trial in December 2019.
“It was chaos,” said the player. “Day one I trained with the youth team, the second day I was with the first team, which was a total shock.
“On the Wednesday I featured for his local side in London, travelled back and on the Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a hat-trick. It was almost a done deal for me to sign a deal.”
In just a year and a half, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut versus the Hatters.
He went on to make 83 league outings for the club while still a teenager, frequently being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally in attack as a number 10 – such was his adaptability and versatility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was their best player.
With his ability to drive the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he won the EFL Championship’s young player of the season honour, was selected in the league’s team of the year and was named the club’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I think he will represent his country and I think he’ll go on to the top of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s manager at Ashton Gate, stated last year.
Less than three months later, he joined the Cherries for a understood fee of £25m.
Getting his big move
The midfielder experienced a difficult debut campaign with the Cherries, having to wait until the autumn to earn his top-flight debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then finding himself inconsistent of the team.
His following season was equally affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for nearly several months.
“There was a decent run at the close of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.
“It was yet another obstacle and the year was shaping up as quite a terrible start for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the U21 Euros – and managed to regain fitness in time.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six games as they went on to win the competition in the host nation, developing a formidable partnership in midfield with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the senior side under the national coach.
And he has begun this season equally as impressively for his club, featuring in all matches to guide them to fifth in the standings.
“To play for the England senior team would be one of the proudest occasions of my life,” Scott stated recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, improving day on day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
