When the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut against Phoenix Sports before just 55 fans in 2019, his manager at the time predicted, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
This prediction proved to be something of an understatement.
Now 22 years old and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the midfielder has earned his first call-up to the full Three Lions team.
His rise from non-league prodigy to potential international star is a proper throwback, a story seldom seen in the modern game.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was no chance of becoming a professional football player, let alone playing in the Premier League and playing for England as well,” Scott stated in a recent interview.
“It’s been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and things have changed drastically for myself and my family.”
But how did Alex Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up here?
Learning in non-league
Scott’s path in football has not been a typical one.
He spent over four years in Southampton’s youth system starting at eight, leaving school early every Friday to travel by air from his island home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could attend training and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Before his 13th birthday, though, they released him. Bournemouth gave him an option and he remained with them for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind was not in it.
Rather, he opted to remain on Guernsey and play for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to chill at home with my friends at weekends because I had missed almost several years of doing that. To have that slice of childhood again was a thing I definitely required.
“To gain some self-belief by returning and taking part in island football was massive for me. That proved to be probably the most crucial things that got me to this point.”
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 fixture at the opposition.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the team because his talent is obvious,” manager Tony Vance commented back then.
“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 professional game
Second-tier club the Robins – owned by islander their owner – had been monitoring Scott’s development after an promising beginning in men’s football and arranged a try-out in December 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” recalled Scott. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the next day I was with the senior squad, which was a total surprise.
“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, travelled back and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and netted a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
In just a year and a half, even well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut against Luton.
Scott made eighty-three league outings for the club while still a teenager, frequently being deployed as a wing-back – and sometimes further forward as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his adaptability and flexibility. Even at that young age 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 earned the nickname ‘the Guernsey 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 honour, was chosen in the league’s best XI and was named Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I think he’ll play for England and I’m sure he will progress to the pinnacle of the game,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s boss at the club, stated last year.
Less than three months after, he joined Bournemouth for a understood fee of £25m.
Getting his major transfer
The midfielder endured a difficult debut campaign with the Cherries, waiting 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 ruled him out for almost four months.
“I had quite a good run at the end of last season, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained Scott.
“It was almost another setback and it was turning out to be a pretty bad year for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by England for the U21 Euros – and managed to get himself fit for the tournament.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they claimed victory in the competition in Slovakia, developing a strong understanding in midfield with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the first team under the national coach.
And he has begun this season equally as strongly for his club, featuring in every game to help them to the top five in the standings.
“To play for the England senior team would be among the most special occasions of my life,” the player said earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to continue developing as a player, keep enjoying football, improving every day, and hopefully I impress the national coach and get my chance.”
