When the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
That statement turned out to be a bit of an underestimation.
Now 22 years old and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his maiden call-up to the senior Three Lions team.
His rise from non-league prodigy to potential England player is a proper throwback, a journey seldom told in the modern era.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was no chance of becoming a professional football player, let alone playing in the top division and representing England too,” Scott stated previously.
“It’s been a crazy five or six years of my life, and things have changed completely for me and my loved ones.”
So in what way did Alex Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up here?
Learning in non-league
Scott’s path in football has been far from a typical one.
He spent four and a half years in the Saints’ youth system starting at 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.
Prior to he turned 13, however, they released him. Bournemouth gave him an option and he remained with them for a while, but, as he later admitted, his mind was not in it.
Rather, he opted to remain on the island and turn out for his local team.
“My form had dipped and traveling weekly was becoming a bit too much,” he recalled.
“All I desired to chill at home with my friends at the weekend because I missed nearly four and a half years of that experience. To have that slice of childhood again was something I definitely required.
“Building some confidence by returning and playing local football was huge for me. It was perhaps one of the most important things that got me to this point.”
At the age of 16, the teenager made history as the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a 57th-minute substitute in their league match at Phoenix Sports.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could include him in the team because his talent is obvious,” manager Tony Vance commented at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the way he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Championship side Bristol City – chaired by islander their owner – had been tracking his development after an promising start in adult football and arranged a try-out in December 2019.
“It was hectic,” said Scott. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the second day I was with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.
“Midweek I played for his local side in the capital, travelled back and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a three goals. From that point a done deal for me to sign a contract.”
Within a year and a half, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut versus Luton.
Scott went on to make 83 league outings for the Robins while still a teenager, frequently being used as a wing-back – and sometimes further forward as a number 10 – such was his versatility and flexibility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his skill to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team attacking midfielder Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he won the second tier’s young player of the season award, was selected in the division’s best XI and was named the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I believe he’ll play for his country and I think he will progress to the top of the sport,” his former manager, Scott’s manager at the club, remarked last year.
Within three months later, he joined Bournemouth for a reported transfer fee of £25m.
Securing his big move
The midfielder endured a difficult first season with the Cherries, waiting until October to make his Premier League debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then being in and out of the team.
His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for nearly four months.
“There was quite a good run at the close of last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” said Scott.
“That felt like yet another setback and it was turning out to be quite a terrible start for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to get himself fit for the tournament.
He started five of the England U21s’ six matches as they claimed victory in the competition in Slovakia, forming a formidable understanding in midfield with his teammate, who in turn has gone on to impress for the first team under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun the current campaign equally as impressively for Bournemouth, featuring in all matches to guide them to fifth in the standings.
“To play for the national team would be among the most special moments of my life,” Scott said recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a player, keep enjoying football, improving every day, and hopefully I impress the national coach and get my chance.”
