When the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 fans in 2019, his coach at the time predicted, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
This statement proved to be a bit of an underestimation.
Today aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the playmaker has earned his maiden summons to the full England squad.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to possible England player is a true throwback, a journey rarely told in the modern era.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a professional football player, never mind playing in the Premier League and playing for the national team as well,” the player said in a recent interview.
“It has been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have changed completely for myself and my family.”
So in what way did Alex Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up at this level?
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 youth system starting at eight, skipping school each Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could train and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before his 13th birthday, however, they released him. Bournemouth were willing to offer him an opportunity and he remained with them for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he opted to stay on Guernsey and play for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and traveling weekly was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.
“All I desired to chill at my home with my mates at weekends because I missed almost four and a half years of that experience. Getting that slice of youth back was a thing I definitely needed.
“Building a bit of self-belief by coming back and taking part in local football was huge for me. It was probably one of the most important things that led me to this point.”
When he was just 16, Scott became the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a 57th-minute substitute in their league fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could get him in the team because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss the coach stated back then.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the manner he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Second-tier club Bristol City – chaired by islander their owner – had been monitoring Scott’s early progress after an promising beginning in men’s football and arranged a try-out in late 2019.
“It was chaos,” recalled the player. “The first day I joined the under-18s, the next day I trained with the first team, which was a complete surprise.
“Midweek I featured for his local side in London, returned home and by Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a three goals. It was almost a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
In just 18 months, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut versus Luton.
He made 83 league appearances for the club while in his teens, frequently being used as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – such was his versatility and versatility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
With his skill to drive the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to City and national team attacking midfielder Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he won the EFL Championship’s young player of the season honour, was selected in the division’s best XI and was named the club’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I believe he’ll play for his country and I think he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the game,” his former manager, the player’s manager at the club, remarked previously.
Less than three months after, he signed for the Cherries for a reported fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his big move
Scott experienced a difficult first season with the club, having to wait until the autumn to make his top-flight debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.
His second campaign was just as disrupted, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for almost several months.
“I had quite a good run at the close of last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” said Scott.
“It was almost another obstacle 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 Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in regain fitness for the tournament.
He started 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 Elliot Anderson, who in turn has excelled for the senior side with the national coach.
And he has begun the current campaign equally as impressively for Bournemouth, playing in every game to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“Representing the England senior team would be one of the proudest occasions of my career,” the player stated recently.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, keep enjoying the game, improving day on day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”
