When the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager back then assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
This statement turned out to be a bit of an understatement.
Today aged 22 and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the playmaker has just received his maiden call-up to the full Three Lions team.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to potential England player is a proper throwback, a journey seldom seen in the modern era.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was no chance of making it as a professional football player, never mind featuring in the Premier League and representing the national team as well,” Scott stated in a recent interview.
“It’s been a crazy five or six years of my life, and circumstances have transformed completely for myself and my loved ones.”
So how did Alex Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself here?
Developing in the lower tiers
Scott’s path in football has been far from a conventional one.
He was part of four and a half years in Southampton’s youth system from the age of eight, skipping school every Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could attend training and play for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to he turned 13, though, they released him. Bournemouth gave Scott an option and he remained with them for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart was not in it.
Rather, he chose to remain on the island and play for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling weekly was becoming a bit too much,” he explained.
“I just wanted to relax at my home with my mates at the weekend because I had missed almost several years of that experience. To have that slice of youth back was something I really required.
“Building some self-belief by returning and playing island football was huge for me. It was probably the most crucial things that got me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, Scott made history as the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a second-half replacement in their Isthmian League match at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the side because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance commented back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the manner he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Championship side Bristol City – owned by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking Scott’s early progress after an promising beginning in men’s football and arranged a try-out in late 2019.
“It was hectic,” recalled the player. “The first day I trained with the youth team, the second day I trained with the senior squad, which was a total shock.
“Midweek I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and scored a three goals. From that point a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
In just a year and a half, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut against Luton.
He went on to make eighty-three league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, frequently being deployed as a wing-back – and sometimes in attack as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his adaptability and versatility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
With his ability to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and England playmaker Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he won the second tier’s best young player honour, was selected in the division’s team of the year and was named the club’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I believe he’ll play for England and I think he’ll go on to the top of the game,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated previously.
Less than 90 days after, he signed for the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his major transfer
Scott experienced a difficult first season with the Cherries, waiting until October to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.
His following season was equally disrupted, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for almost four months.
“I had a decent run at the end of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained he.
“It was almost another setback and it was turning out to be a pretty bad year for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to get himself fit for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six matches as they claimed victory in the tournament in the host nation, developing a formidable understanding in midfield with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the first team under the national coach.
And he has started this season just as impressively for Bournemouth, featuring in every game to help them to the top five in the table.
“To play for the national team would be one of the proudest moments of my career,” Scott said earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I must continue developing as a player, keep enjoying football, improving day on day, and hopefully I impress the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
