When the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his coach at the time predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
This prediction turned out to be something of an underestimation.
Now 22 years old and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the midfielder has just received his first call-up to the full Three Lions team.
His rise from non-league prodigy to possible England player is a true throwback, a story seldom told in the modern game.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was no chance of becoming a pro footballer, never mind playing in the Premier League and playing for England as well,” Scott said in a recent interview.
“It’s been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have changed drastically for me and my loved ones.”
So in what way did Alex Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up at this level?
Developing in the lower tiers
His path in football has been far from a typical one.
He was part of four and a half years in Southampton’s youth system starting at eight, skipping school every Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could train and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Before he turned 13, though, they decided to let him go. The Cherries gave him an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he opted to remain on the island and turn out for his local team.
“My form had dipped and flying over every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.
“All I desired to relax at home with my mates at weekends because I had missed nearly four and a half years of that experience. To have that slice of youth again was something I definitely needed.
“Building a bit of self-belief by coming back and taking part in island football was huge for me. It was probably the most crucial factors that got me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, Scott became the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he was introduced as a second-half replacement in their league match at the opposition.
“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 commented at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the way he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the professional game
Championship side the Robins – chaired by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring his early progress after an promising start in men’s football and gave him a trial in late 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled the player. “Day one I trained with the youth team, the second day I was with the first team, which was a complete surprise.
“Midweek I played for his local side in the capital, returned home and on the Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a hat-trick. From that point a certainty for me to sign a deal.”
Within 18 months, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut versus Luton.
He made eighty-three league appearances for the club while still a teenager, frequently being deployed as a wide defender – and sometimes further forward as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his adaptability and versatility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was their best player.
Thanks to his ability to carry the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and national team attacking midfielder Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he won the EFL Championship’s young player of the season honour, was selected in the league’s team of the year and was named Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I think he’ll play for England and I think he will progress to the top of the game,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated last year.
Less than three months later, he signed for Bournemouth for a reported fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his major transfer
The midfielder endured a challenging debut campaign with the club, having to wait until the autumn to earn his top-flight debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then finding himself inconsistent of the starting XI.
His following season was just as affected, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for almost several months.
“There was quite a good run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained he.
“It was yet another setback and it was turning out to be a pretty bad year for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by England for the U21 Euros – and managed to get himself fit for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six games as they went on to win the competition in Slovakia, forming a formidable understanding in the middle with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the first team with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun this season equally as strongly for Bournemouth, playing in every game to help them to fifth in the standings.
“Representing the England senior team would be one of the proudest occasions of my life,” Scott said recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, improving day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
