When the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports before just 55 spectators in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
That prediction turned out to be something of an underestimation.
Today aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his first call-up to the senior England squad.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to possible international star is a true blast from the past, a journey rarely told in the modern game.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of becoming a professional football player, never mind playing in the Premier League and representing the national team too,” Scott stated previously.
“It’s been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and things have changed completely for me and my loved ones.”
But how did Alex Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up at this level?
Learning in the lower tiers
His football journey has not been a conventional one.
He was part of over four years in the Saints’ academy setup from the age of eight, skipping school every Friday to travel by air from his home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could attend training and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to he turned 13, though, they released him. The Cherries were willing to offer Scott an opportunity and he remained with them for a time, but, as he later admitted, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he opted to stay on the island and turn out for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to relax at home with my mates at the weekend because I missed almost several years of doing that. To have that little bit of childhood again was something I really needed.
“To gain some self-belief by coming back and taking part in island football was massive for me. It was probably the most crucial factors that got me to this point.”
At the age of 16, the teenager became the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he was introduced as a 57th-minute substitute in their Isthmian League match at the opposition.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could include him in the side because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance stated back then.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the way he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the professional game
Second-tier club the Robins – chaired by islander Steve Lansdown – had been tracking his development after an promising start in men’s football and arranged a try-out in December 2019.
“It was chaos,” recalled the player. “Day one I joined the youth team, the second day I was with the first team, which was a total surprise.
“Midweek I featured for his local side in London, 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 put pen to paper on a deal.”
In just a year and a half, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut versus Luton.
Scott made eighty-three league outings for the club while in his teens, frequently being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – such was his adaptability and flexibility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his skill to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to City and England playmaker Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the second tier’s young player of the season award, was chosen in the league’s best XI and was voted Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I think he’ll play for England and I think he’ll go on to the top of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s boss at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.
Within 90 days after, he signed for the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of £25m.
Getting his big move
The midfielder endured a difficult first season with the club, having to wait until October to make his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.
His second campaign was equally disrupted, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for almost four months.
“There was a decent run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said he.
“It was almost another obstacle and it was shaping up as a pretty bad year for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in get himself fit for the tournament.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they claimed victory in the tournament in the host nation, developing a formidable understanding in midfield with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the senior side with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun this season just as strongly for Bournemouth, featuring in all matches to help them to the top five in the table.
“Representing the England senior team would be among the most special occasions of my life,” Scott said recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to continue developing as a player, maintain my love for the game, improving every day, and hopefully I impress the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
