When the young midfielder made his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his coach at the time predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
That statement proved to be something of an understatement.
Today 22 years old and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his maiden call-up to the full Three Lions squad.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to possible international star is a true throwback, a journey seldom told in the modern era.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was no chance of becoming a professional football player, let alone featuring in the top division and playing for the national team too,” Scott said previously.
“It’s been a crazy five or six years of my life, and circumstances have changed drastically for me and my family.”
But how did Alex Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself here?
Learning in non-league
His football journey has not been a conventional one.
He spent over four years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, leaving school early each Friday to travel by air from his island home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could train and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before his 13th birthday, though, they decided to let him go. The Cherries gave him an option and he remained with them for a while, but, as he later admitted, his mind was not in it.
Rather, he opted to remain on Guernsey and turn out for his local team.
“My form had dipped and flying over every week was starting to feel a bit too much,” he explained.
“I just wanted to chill at home with my mates at the weekend because I missed nearly four and a half years of doing that. Getting that slice of youth again was a thing I really needed.
“To gain a bit of self-belief by coming back and taking part in local football was massive for me. It was perhaps the most crucial things that led me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, the teenager became the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a 57th-minute replacement in their league fixture at the opposition.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could include him in the side because his talent is obvious,” manager Tony Vance commented back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Second-tier club the Robins – chaired by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring his early progress after an impressive beginning in adult football and gave him a trial in late 2019.
“It was chaos,” recalled Scott. “Day one I joined the youth team, the second day I trained with the first team, which was a complete shock.
“Midweek I featured for his local side in the capital, travelled back and by Friday, I played for the youth team and netted a three goals. It was almost a done deal for me to sign a deal.”
Within 18 months, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut against Luton.
He made eighty-three league appearances for the club while still a teenager, frequently being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – demonstrating his versatility and versatility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his ability to drive 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 Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he won the EFL Championship’s best young player honour, was chosen in the division’s best XI and was named Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I think he’ll play for his country and I think he will progress to the pinnacle of the game,” his former manager, Scott’s boss at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.
Less than three months later, he joined Bournemouth for a understood transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his major transfer
The midfielder endured a difficult debut campaign with the club, having to wait until October to earn his top-flight debut after a knee problem in the summer, 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.
“There was a decent run at the end of last season, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.
“It was yet another setback and it was shaping up as quite a terrible start for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to get himself fit for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they claimed victory in the competition in the host nation, forming a formidable partnership in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has gone on to impress for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started this season equally as impressively for his club, playing in all matches to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“To play for the national team would be among the most special occasions of my career,” Scott said recently.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, keep enjoying the game, getting better day on day, and hopefully I impress the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
