Back when the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager back then predicted, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
This statement turned out to be a bit of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his maiden summons to the senior England team.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to possible England player is a true throwback, a journey rarely told in the modern era.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of making it as a pro footballer, never mind playing in the top division and representing England too,” Scott stated in a recent interview.
“It has been a incredible five or six years of my life, and things have changed drastically for myself and my loved ones.”
But how did Alex Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself at this level?
Developing in the lower tiers
His path in football has not been a typical one.
He was part of four and a half years in the Saints’ academy setup from the age of eight, leaving school early every Friday to travel by air from his home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could attend training and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Before his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth gave him an option and he remained with them for a time, but, as he later admitted, his heart was not in it.
Instead, he chose to remain on the island and turn out for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he explained.
“All I desired to chill at home with my friends at the weekend because I missed nearly four and a half years of doing that. To have that little bit of childhood back was something I really needed.
“To gain a bit of confidence by returning and taking part in island football was huge for me. It was probably the most crucial things that got me to this point.”
When he was just 16, the teenager made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a second-half substitute in their league match at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the team because his talent is obvious,” manager Tony Vance stated back then.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the way he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Championship side the Robins – chaired by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring his development after an impressive start in adult football and arranged a try-out in late 2019.
“It was chaos,” recalled Scott. “Day one I trained with the under-18s, the next day I was with the first team, which was a total surprise.
“Midweek I featured for his local side in London, returned home and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a three goals. From that point a certainty for me to sign a contract.”
Within 18 months, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut against the Hatters.
Scott went on to make 83 league outings for the club while still a teenager, often being used as a wing-back – and sometimes in attack as a attacking midfielder – such was his adaptability and versatility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his ability to drive the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he claimed the EFL Championship’s best young player honour, was selected in the league’s best XI and was voted Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I think he’ll play for England and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the game,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated last year.
Less than 90 days later, he signed for the Cherries for a understood transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his big move
The midfielder experienced a difficult debut campaign with the Cherries, waiting until October to earn his Premier League debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then being in and out of the starting XI.
His second campaign was just as disrupted, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for nearly four months.
“I had quite a good run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said Scott.
“It was yet another obstacle and it was shaping up as a pretty bad year for the first half.”
But he was then called up by England for the U21 Euros – and managed to get himself fit in time.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six games as they went on to win the competition in Slovakia, developing a strong understanding in the middle with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun this season just as impressively for Bournemouth, playing in every game to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“Representing the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my career,” Scott stated recently.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for football, getting better every day, and hopefully I impress the national coach and get my chance.”
