Back when the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 spectators in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
That statement proved to be something of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the playmaker has earned his first call-up to the senior Three Lions team.
His rise from non-league prodigy to possible international star is a true throwback, a journey rarely seen in the modern game.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of making it as a professional football player, let alone featuring in the Premier League and playing for the national team too,” Scott stated previously.
“It has been a crazy five or six years of my life, and things have changed completely for myself and my family.”
So how did Alex Scott, known fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself at this level?
Developing in non-league
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 home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could train and play for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to he turned 13, though, they decided to let him go. The Cherries gave him an opportunity and he remained with them for a while, but, as he later admitted, his mind was not in it.
Instead, he opted to remain on Guernsey and turn out for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over weekly was becoming a bit too much,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to relax at home with my friends at the weekend because I had missed nearly several years of that experience. Getting that little bit of youth again was something I definitely needed.
“Building some confidence by returning and playing local football was huge for me. It was probably one of the most important factors that led me to this point.”
At the age of 16, Scott made history as the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a 57th-minute substitute in their Isthmian League fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I had sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could include him in the team because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss the coach stated at the time.
“People have witnessed 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 Bristol City – chaired by islander their owner – had been tracking Scott’s early progress after an impressive beginning in men’s football and arranged a try-out in December 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” recalled Scott. “The first day I joined the youth team, the second day I was with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.
“Midweek I played for Guernsey FC in London, travelled back and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and scored a three goals. From that point a certainty for me to sign a deal.”
Within 18 months, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut against the Hatters.
Scott made eighty-three league outings for the club while still a teenager, often being used as a wide defender – and sometimes further forward as a number 10 – demonstrating his versatility and versatility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was their best player.
Thanks to his skill to drive the ball forward, and with his socks rolled 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 claimed the EFL Championship’s young player of the season award, was selected in the division’s best XI and was voted Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I think he’ll play for England and I think he will progress to the pinnacle of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s manager at Ashton Gate, stated previously.
Less than three months after, he joined Bournemouth for a reported transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his big move
The midfielder endured a challenging debut campaign with the Cherries, having to wait until October to earn his Premier League debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then finding himself inconsistent of the team.
His following season was equally affected, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for nearly four months.
“There was a decent 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 the year was turning out to be quite a terrible year for the first half.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the U21 Euros – and managed to regain fitness in time.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six matches as they went on to win the tournament in the host nation, developing a strong partnership in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who himself has gone on to impress for the senior side with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun this season just as strongly for Bournemouth, playing in every game to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“Representing the national team would be one of the proudest occasions of my career,” the player stated earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I must continue developing as a player, maintain my love for the game, improving every day, and hopefully I impress the England manager and get my chance.”
