When the young midfielder made his local team debut against Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then assured, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
This prediction proved to be a bit of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has just received his first summons to the senior Three Lions squad.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to potential international star is a true throwback, a story seldom seen in the modern era.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was no chance of becoming a professional football player, never mind featuring in the top division and representing England too,” the player said in a recent interview.
“It has been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have changed completely for myself and my loved ones.”
So how did Alex Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself here?
Learning in the lower tiers
Scott’s football journey has been far from a conventional one.
He spent four and a half years in the Saints’ youth system starting at eight, leaving school early each Friday to travel by air from his island home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could train and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they released him. Bournemouth gave Scott an option and he remained with them for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he chose to remain on the island and turn out for his local team.
“My form had dipped and flying over every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.
“All I desired to relax at my home with my friends at the weekend because I missed nearly several years of that experience. Getting that slice of youth back was a thing I definitely needed.
“To gain some self-belief by coming back and taking part in island football was huge for me. It was probably one of the most important factors that got me to this point.”
When he was just 16, Scott became the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a second-half replacement in their league match at the opposition.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could get him in the team because he’s that good,” manager Tony Vance stated at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the manner he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Second-tier club the Robins – owned by islander their owner – had been tracking Scott’s development after an impressive beginning in adult football and arranged a trial in late 2019.
“It was hectic,” said Scott. “The first day I joined the under-18s, the next day I was with the first team, which was a total surprise.
“Midweek I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a hat-trick. From that point a done deal for me to sign a contract.”
In just 18 months, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut against the Hatters.
Scott made eighty-three league appearances for the club while still a teenager, frequently being used as a wing-back – and occasionally in attack as a number 10 – such was his versatility and versatility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
With his ability to drive the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team playmaker Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he won the EFL Championship’s young player of the season award, was selected in the league’s team of the year and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I believe he’ll play for England and I’m sure he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the game,” his former manager, the player’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.
Within 90 days after, he signed for the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of £25m.
Securing his major transfer
Scott endured a difficult first season with the Cherries, having to wait until the autumn to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then being inconsistent of the team.
His second campaign was equally disrupted, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for nearly four months.
“I had quite a good run at the close of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.
“That felt like almost another obstacle and it was turning out to be quite a terrible start for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the U21 Euros – and managed to regain fitness in time.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they claimed victory in the competition in Slovakia, developing a formidable partnership in midfield with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the senior side under the national coach.
And he has begun this season equally as strongly for his club, featuring in every game to guide them to the top five in the table.
“To play for the England senior team would be among the most special occasions of my life,” the player stated recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I must continue developing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, getting better day on day, and with luck I impress the national coach and get my chance.”
