Back 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 back then predicted, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
That statement proved to be something of an understatement.
Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the playmaker has just received his maiden call-up to the senior England team.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to potential England player is a true throwback, a story seldom seen in the modern game.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of becoming a professional football player, never mind featuring in the Premier League and playing for England as well,” Scott stated previously.
“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and things have changed drastically for me and my loved ones.”
So in what way did Alex Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up here?
Learning in the lower tiers
Scott’s path in football has been far from a conventional one.
He spent over four years in Southampton’s youth system starting at eight, skipping school every Friday to travel by air from his island home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could train and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to his 13th birthday, though, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth were willing to offer Scott an opportunity 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 the island and turn out for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling every week was becoming a bit too much,” he explained.
“I just wanted to relax at home with my friends at weekends because I had missed nearly four and a half years of that experience. To have that little bit of childhood again was a thing I definitely required.
“Building some confidence by returning and playing local football was massive for me. It was probably one of the most important things that got me to this point.”
When he was just 16, the teenager became the youngest player in the club’s records when he was introduced as a second-half substitute in their Isthmian League match at the opposition.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the side because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance stated at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the way he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the professional game
Second-tier club Bristol City – owned by islander their owner – had been monitoring Scott’s development after an impressive start in men’s football and arranged a try-out in December 2019.
“It was hectic,” said Scott. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the next day I was with the senior squad, which was a total shock.
“Midweek I played for his local side in London, travelled back and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and netted a three goals. From that point a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
In just 18 months, still well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut versus the Hatters.
He went on to make eighty-three league outings for the club while in his teens, often being deployed as a wide defender – and sometimes further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his versatility and flexibility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
With his skill to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to City and England attacking midfielder Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the EFL Championship’s young player of the season honour, was selected in the league’s team of the year and was voted Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I think he’ll play for his country and I’m sure he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the sport,” his former manager, the player’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked last year.
Within three months later, he signed for Bournemouth for a reported transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his major transfer
The midfielder endured a difficult first season with the Cherries, having to wait until October to make his top-flight debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then being in and out of the starting XI.
His following season was just as affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for almost several months.
“There was quite a good run at the close of last season, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained Scott.
“It was almost another obstacle and it was shaping up as quite a terrible year for the first half.”
But he was then called up by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in get himself fit in time.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six matches as they went on to win the competition in Slovakia, forming a strong understanding in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who himself has gone on to impress for the senior side with the national coach.
And he has begun the current campaign equally as strongly for his club, featuring in all matches to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“Representing the national team would be one of the proudest occasions of my career,” Scott said earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I must keep progressing as a player, keep enjoying football, getting better every day, and with luck I impress the national coach and get my chance.”
