When the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports before a mere 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 underestimation.
Now 22 years old and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the midfielder has earned his maiden summons to the full Three Lions team.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to potential international star is a true blast from the past, a journey seldom told in the modern game.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of becoming a pro footballer, let alone playing in the Premier League and representing the national team too,” Scott stated in a recent interview.
“It has been a crazy five or six years of my life, and things have changed completely for me and my loved ones.”
But how did Alex Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself at this level?
Learning in non-league
Scott’s football journey has been far from a typical one.
He spent four and a half years in the Saints’ youth system from the age of eight, skipping school every Friday to travel by air from his home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could train and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to he turned 13, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth were willing to offer 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.
Rather, he chose to stay on Guernsey and play for his local team.
“My form had dipped and traveling weekly was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to chill at home with my mates at weekends because I missed almost four and a half years of that experience. To have that slice of childhood again was something I definitely needed.
“To gain some confidence by returning and playing local football was huge for me. That proved to be perhaps the most crucial things that led me to this point.”
At the age of 16, Scott made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he came on as a 57th-minute substitute in their league match at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could include him in the side because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance stated back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the way he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Second-tier club Bristol City – chaired by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring his early progress after an impressive beginning in adult football and gave him a trial in late 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” recalled Scott. “The first day I trained with the youth team, the next day I trained with the senior squad, which was a total shock.
“Midweek I featured for his local side in the capital, travelled back and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a hat-trick. From that point a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
In just 18 months, even well before his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut versus the Hatters.
He went on to make 83 league outings for the Robins while in his teens, frequently being deployed as a wing-back – and sometimes further forward as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his adaptability and versatility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
With his ability to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he won the second tier’s young player of the season award, was chosen in the division’s team of the year and was named the club’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I believe he’ll play for England and I’m sure he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the game,” his former manager, the player’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked last year.
Within three months after, he joined Bournemouth for a reported fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his big move
The midfielder experienced a difficult first season with the Cherries, waiting until October to earn his top-flight debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then being in and out of the starting XI.
His following season was just as disrupted, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for almost four months.
“I had a decent run at the end of last season, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained Scott.
“It was yet another setback and it was turning out to be a pretty bad start for the first half.”
But he was then called up by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to get himself fit in time.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, developing a strong understanding in midfield with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started this season just as impressively for his club, featuring in every game to guide them to fifth in the standings.
“Representing the national team would be one of the proudest moments of my career,” the player stated recently.
“It’s down to me, I must keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for football, improving every day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
