When the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
This statement proved to be a bit of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his first summons to the full Three Lions team.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to potential international star is a proper throwback, a story rarely seen in the modern era.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of making it as a pro footballer, let alone playing in the top division and representing the national team too,” the player said previously.
“It’s been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have transformed drastically for me and my family.”
So how did Alex Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up here?
Developing in the lower tiers
His path in football has not been a typical one.
He spent four and a half years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, skipping school each Friday to fly from his island home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could attend training and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Before he turned 13, however, they decided to let him go. The Cherries gave him an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, as he later admitted, his mind was not in it.
Instead, he opted to stay on Guernsey and play for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and flying over weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he explained.
“All I desired to relax at my home with my friends at the weekend because I had missed nearly four and a half years of doing that. Getting that little bit of youth again was a thing I definitely needed.
“Building a bit of self-belief by coming back and playing local football was massive for me. It was perhaps the most crucial things that led me to this point.”
At the age of 16, Scott became the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a 57th-minute substitute in their Isthmian 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 side because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss the coach commented back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the way he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Second-tier club the Robins – chaired by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring Scott’s early progress after an promising start in men’s football and gave him a try-out in late 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled the player. “The first day I joined the youth team, the second day I was with the senior squad, which was a total surprise.
“On the Wednesday I featured for his local side in the capital, travelled back and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and scored a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to sign a contract.”
In just a year and a half, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut versus Luton.
Scott made 83 league appearances for the club while still a teenager, frequently being used as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his versatility and flexibility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
With his skill to carry the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and national team attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the EFL Championship’s best young player award, was chosen in the division’s best XI and was named Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I think he’ll play for England and I’m sure he’ll go on to the top of the game,” his former manager, Scott’s manager at Ashton Gate, stated previously.
Within 90 days later, he signed for the Cherries for a reported fee of £25m.
Securing his big move
The midfielder endured a challenging first season with the club, waiting until October to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then being inconsistent of the team.
His second campaign was just as 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 fractured my jaw,” said Scott.
“It was almost another setback and it was turning out to be quite a terrible year for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to regain fitness in time.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they went on to win the tournament in the host nation, forming a formidable partnership in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has excelled for the senior side under the national coach.
And he has started this season equally as strongly for Bournemouth, featuring in all matches to help them to the top five in the standings.
“Representing the England senior team would be among the most special moments of my career,” Scott stated earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, maintain my love for football, improving day on day, and with luck I impress the England manager and get my chance.”
