Back when the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports before just 55 spectators in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
That statement turned out to be something of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the playmaker has just received his maiden summons to the senior England squad.
His rise from non-league prodigy to possible international star is a proper blast from the past, a journey seldom told in the modern game.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of making it as a pro footballer, never mind playing in the Premier League and representing the national team too,” Scott stated previously.
“It has been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and things have transformed completely for myself and my loved ones.”
So how did Alex Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself at this level?
Developing in the lower tiers
Scott’s football journey has been far from a conventional one.
He spent over four years in the Saints’ academy setup 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 play for the club’s academy sides.
Before his 13th birthday, though, they released him. Bournemouth gave Scott an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he chose to remain on the island and play for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over weekly was becoming a bit too much,” he recalled.
“All I desired to chill at home with my mates at weekends because I had missed nearly four and a half years of that experience. To have that slice of youth back was a thing I really needed.
“Building some self-belief by coming back and taking part in 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 made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a second-half substitute in their league match at the opposition.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the team because he’s that good,” manager Tony Vance commented at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, 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 tracking his development after an impressive start in adult football and arranged a trial in late 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” said Scott. “Day one I joined the youth team, the next day I was with the senior squad, which was a complete shock.
“On the Wednesday I played for his local side in London, travelled back and on the Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a three goals. From that point a done deal for me to sign a contract.”
Within 18 months, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut against the Hatters.
He went on to make 83 league outings for the club while still a teenager, frequently being used as a wide defender – and sometimes in attack as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his versatility and flexibility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his ability to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to City and national team playmaker Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the EFL Championship’s best young player honour, was selected in the league’s team of the year and was voted Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I believe he will represent his country and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the game,” his former manager, Scott’s manager at Ashton Gate, stated previously.
Less than three months later, he joined the Cherries for a understood transfer fee of £25m.
Getting his big move
Scott experienced 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 in and out of the team.
His following season was just as disrupted, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for almost four months.
“I had a decent run at the close of last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” said he.
“It was almost another obstacle and the year was shaping up as a pretty bad year for the first half.”
But he was then selected by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in regain fitness for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six matches as they claimed victory in the competition in the host nation, forming a formidable understanding in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has gone on to impress for the first team under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started the current campaign just as strongly for Bournemouth, featuring in all matches to help them to fifth in the standings.
“To play for the national team would be one of the proudest moments of my career,” Scott stated recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, getting better every day, and with luck I impress the national coach and get my chance.”
