Back when Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager back then predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
That prediction turned out to be a bit of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the playmaker has earned his first call-up to the senior Three Lions squad.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to possible international star is a true blast from the past, a story seldom seen in the modern era.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was no chance of becoming a professional football player, let alone featuring in the Premier League and playing for the national team as well,” Scott stated previously.
“It has been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and things have transformed completely for myself and my loved ones.”
So in what way did Alex Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up here?
Learning in the lower tiers
Scott’s path in football has not been a conventional one.
He was part of over four years in Southampton’s youth system starting at eight, leaving school early each Friday to travel by air from his island home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could train and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before his 13th birthday, though, they decided to let him go. The Cherries gave Scott an option 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 remain on the island and turn out for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over every week was becoming overwhelming,” he recalled.
“All I desired to chill at home with my friends at the weekend because I had missed almost several years of that experience. To have that little bit of youth back was a thing I really required.
“To gain a bit of confidence by coming back and playing local football was massive for me. It was perhaps one of the most important factors that led me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, the teenager made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a second-half replacement in their league match at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could get him in the side because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss the coach commented back then.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the professional game
Championship side Bristol City – chaired by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring his early progress after an impressive start in men’s football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.
“It was chaos,” recalled the player. “Day one I joined the youth team, the next day I was with the first team, which was a total surprise.
“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, travelled back and on the Friday, I played for the youth team and netted a hat-trick. It was almost a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
In just 18 months, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut against the Hatters.
Scott made 83 league appearances for the club while in his teens, frequently being used as a wing-back – and sometimes further forward as a number 10 – demonstrating his versatility and versatility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was their best player.
Thanks to his skill to carry the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to City and England playmaker Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he claimed the second tier’s best young player honour, was chosen in the league’s best XI and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I believe he will represent England and I’m sure he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the game,” his former manager, Scott’s manager at the club, remarked last year.
Within three months after, he signed for the Cherries for a understood fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his major transfer
Scott endured a challenging first season with the club, waiting until October to make his top-flight debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then finding himself inconsistent 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 a decent run at the end of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said Scott.
“It was yet another setback and it was shaping up as quite a terrible year for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the U21 Euros – and managed to get himself fit for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six games as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, forming a formidable understanding in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who himself has gone on to impress for the first team with the national coach.
And he has started the current campaign just as impressively for his club, featuring in all matches to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“To play for the England senior team would be among the most special occasions of my life,” Scott stated recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I must continue developing as a player, maintain my love for the game, getting better day on day, and hopefully I impress the national coach and get my chance.”
