When the young midfielder made his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 spectators in 2019, his manager at the time assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
That statement turned out to be a bit of an underestimation.
Now 22 years old and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has earned his maiden call-up to the full England squad.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to possible international star is a true blast from the past, a journey seldom told in the modern era.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of becoming a professional football player, never mind playing in the top division and representing England as well,” the player said in a recent interview.
“It’s been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have transformed drastically for me and my family.”
So how did Alex Scott, known fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up at this level?
Learning in the lower tiers
His football journey has not been a conventional one.
He spent four and a half years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, skipping school every Friday to fly from his island home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could attend training and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before he turned 13, though, they released him. Bournemouth gave Scott an opportunity and he remained with them for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind was not in it.
Rather, he chose to stay on the island and play for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over weekly was starting to feel overwhelming,” he explained.
“I just wanted to relax at home with my friends at the weekend because I had missed almost several years of that experience. To have that little bit of youth again was a thing I really required.
“Building a bit of confidence by returning and playing island football was massive for me. That proved to be perhaps one of the most important factors that led me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, Scott made history as the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a second-half substitute in their Isthmian League fixture at the opposition.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the team because his talent is obvious,” manager Tony Vance stated at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the way he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the professional game
Second-tier club the Robins – owned by islander their owner – had been monitoring Scott’s early progress after an promising beginning in adult football and gave him a trial in December 2019.
“It was hectic,” said the player. “The first day I joined the under-18s, the second day I trained with the first team, which was a total surprise.
“Midweek I played for Guernsey FC in London, returned home and on the Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to sign a contract.”
Within a year and a half, still well before his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut versus the Hatters.
He went on to make 83 league outings for the club while in his teens, frequently being deployed as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his adaptability and flexibility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was their best player.
With his skill to carry the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to City and England playmaker Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the EFL Championship’s best young player award, was chosen in the league’s best XI and was voted the club’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I believe he’ll play for England and I think he’ll go on to the top of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s manager at the club, remarked last year.
Less than 90 days after, he signed for Bournemouth for a understood transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his big move
The midfielder experienced a difficult first season with the Cherries, waiting until October to make his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then being in and out of the starting XI.
His following season was just as affected, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for almost several months.
“There was a decent run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said Scott.
“That felt like yet another setback and it was shaping up as a pretty bad year for the first half.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to regain fitness for the tournament.
He started five of the England U21s’ six matches as they claimed victory in the competition in the host nation, developing a strong partnership in the middle with his teammate, who himself has gone on to impress for the senior side with the national coach.
And he has begun this season just as strongly for Bournemouth, playing in every game to help them to the top five in the table.
“To play for the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my career,” Scott said recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, getting better day on day, and hopefully I impress the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
