When the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports before just 55 fans in 2019, his manager at the time assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
That prediction proved to be a bit of an understatement.
Now aged 22 and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his maiden summons to the full England squad.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to potential England player is a true blast from the past, a journey rarely seen in the modern game.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was no chance of becoming a professional football player, let alone playing in the Premier League and representing England as well,” Scott said in a recent interview.
“It has been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have changed drastically for myself and my family.”
But in what way did Alex Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up at this level?
Developing in non-league
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 each Friday to fly from his island home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could attend training and play for the club’s academy sides.
Before he turned 13, though, 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.
Instead, he opted to remain on Guernsey and turn out for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling weekly was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.
“All I desired to relax at my home with my mates at weekends because I missed almost several years of doing that. To have that little bit of childhood back was a thing I definitely required.
“To gain some self-belief by returning and taking part in island football was massive for me. It was probably the most crucial factors that led me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, the teenager made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he came on as a second-half replacement in their league fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could include him in the team because he’s that good,” manager the coach commented back then.
“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 pro ranks
Second-tier club the Robins – owned by islander Steve Lansdown – had been tracking Scott’s development after an promising start in adult football and gave him a try-out in late 2019.
“It was chaos,” said the player. “The first day I joined the under-18s, the next day I was with the first team, which was a total shock.
“On the Wednesday I played for his local side in London, travelled back and by Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a three goals. From that point a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
Within 18 months, still well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut versus the Hatters.
He made eighty-three league appearances for the club while in his teens, frequently being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally in attack as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his adaptability and flexibility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was their best player.
With his ability to carry the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to City and England attacking midfielder Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he claimed the second tier’s best young player honour, was selected in the league’s best XI and was voted the club’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I believe he will represent his country and I think he will progress to the pinnacle of the sport,” his former manager, Scott’s manager at Ashton Gate, stated last year.
Less than 90 days after, he signed for the Cherries for a understood fee of £25m.
Getting his major transfer
The midfielder experienced a difficult debut campaign with the club, waiting until October to earn his top-flight debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then being in and out of the team.
His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for nearly several months.
“There was a decent run at the end of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said Scott.
“It was almost another setback and the year was turning out to be a pretty bad year for the first half.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in get himself fit in time.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six matches as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, forming a strong partnership in midfield with his teammate, who himself has gone on to impress for the senior side under the national coach.
And he has begun this season just as impressively for his club, playing in every game to guide them to fifth in the standings.
“To play for the national team would be one of the proudest moments of my life,” Scott stated earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I must keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for the game, getting better every day, and hopefully I impress the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
