Back when the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 spectators in 2019, his coach back then assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
That prediction turned out to be something of an underestimation.
Now 22 years old and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the playmaker has earned his first summons to the full Three Lions squad.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to potential England player is a true blast from the past, a journey rarely seen in the modern game.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was no chance of making it as a professional football player, let alone playing in the Premier League and representing England as well,” Scott stated in a recent interview.
“It’s been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have transformed drastically for me and my loved ones.”
But in what way did Alex Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up at this level?
Developing in the lower tiers
Scott’s path in football has been far from a conventional one.
He spent four and a half years in Southampton’s youth system from the age of eight, skipping school each Friday to fly from his island home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could train and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Before he turned 13, though, they released him. The Cherries were willing to offer Scott an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, as he later admitted, his heart was not in it.
Instead, he opted to remain on the island and turn out for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over weekly was starting to feel a bit too much,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to relax at my home with my friends at the weekend because I missed almost several years of that experience. Getting that slice of childhood again was something I really required.
“Building a bit of self-belief by coming back and taking part in island football was massive for me. That proved to be probably one of the most important things that led me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, Scott made history as the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a second-half replacement in their Isthmian League fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could include him in the team because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance 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.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Championship side the Robins – chaired by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring Scott’s development after an impressive start in adult football and arranged a trial in December 2019.
“It was hectic,” recalled the player. “Day one I trained with the under-18s, the second day I trained with the first team, which was a complete surprise.
“Midweek I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, travelled back and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and netted a hat-trick. 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 earning his first-team debut versus Luton.
He made 83 league outings for the club while in his teens, often being used as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – demonstrating his versatility and versatility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
Thanks to 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 City and England attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he won the second tier’s young player of the season honour, was selected in the division’s best XI and was named the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I think he’ll play for England and I think he will progress to the pinnacle of the sport,” his former manager, Scott’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated previously.
Within 90 days later, he joined Bournemouth for a understood transfer fee of £25m.
Securing his big move
The midfielder experienced a challenging first season with the Cherries, having to wait until October to earn his top-flight debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then finding himself inconsistent of the team.
His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for nearly four months.
“I had a decent run at the close of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” said Scott.
“It was yet another setback 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 U21 Euros – and succeeded in regain fitness for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six games as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, developing a formidable understanding in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who himself has excelled for the first team under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started this season just as impressively for Bournemouth, playing in every game to help them to the top five in the table.
“Representing the national team would be one of the proudest moments of my career,” the player stated earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I must continue developing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, improving every day, and with luck I impress the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
