Back when the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before just 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
That statement turned out to be a bit of an understatement.
Today aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the midfielder has just received his maiden summons to the full Three Lions squad.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to possible England player is a true blast from the past, a story seldom seen in the modern era.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of making it as a professional football player, let alone playing in the Premier League and playing for England too,” Scott stated previously.
“It has been a crazy five or six years of my life, and circumstances have changed completely for me and my family.”
But how did Alex Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself here?
Learning in non-league
Scott’s football journey has been far from a typical one.
He was part of over four years in the Saints’ youth system from the age of eight, leaving school early every Friday to fly from his home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could attend training and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth were willing to offer Scott an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, as he later admitted, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he opted to remain on the island and turn out for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and traveling weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he explained.
“All I desired to chill at my home with my friends at the weekend because I had missed nearly four and a half years of doing that. To have that little bit of childhood again was a thing I definitely required.
“To gain a bit of self-belief by coming back and playing local football was massive for me. It was perhaps one of the most important factors that got me to this point.”
When he was just 16, Scott made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a second-half replacement in their Isthmian League match at the opposition.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could get him in the team because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss the coach stated at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Championship side Bristol City – owned by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring his development after an impressive start in men’s football and gave him a trial in December 2019.
“It was chaos,” recalled the player. “The first day I trained with the under-18s, the second day I trained with the first team, which was a complete surprise.
“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in London, travelled back and by Friday, I played for the youth team and scored a three goals. It was almost a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
Within 18 months, even well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut versus Luton.
He made 83 league appearances for the club while still a teenager, frequently being used as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his versatility and flexibility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was their best player.
Thanks to his skill to carry the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and national team playmaker Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he claimed the second tier’s young player of the season award, was chosen in the league’s team of the year and was named Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I think he will represent England and I think he’ll go on to the top of the game,” his former manager, the player’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated last year.
Within three months later, he joined the Cherries for a understood transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his big move
The midfielder experienced a difficult debut campaign with the Cherries, waiting until the autumn to make his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then finding himself inconsistent of the starting XI.
His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for almost four months.
“I had a decent run at the end of last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” said Scott.
“It was almost another setback and it was turning out to be a pretty bad start for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by England for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in get himself fit in time.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six games as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, forming a strong partnership in the middle with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the first team under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun this season equally as impressively for Bournemouth, playing in every game to help them to the top five in the standings.
“To play for the England senior team would be one of the proudest occasions of my career,” the player stated earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for football, improving every day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the national coach and get my chance.”
