Back when the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager at the time predicted, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
That statement proved to be something of an understatement.
Now aged 22 and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the playmaker has earned 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 journey seldom told in the modern game.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of making it as a professional football player, let alone featuring in the Premier League and representing the national team as well,” the player said in a recent interview.
“It’s been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have transformed drastically for myself and my family.”
But how did Alex Scott, known fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself here?
Developing in non-league
Scott’s path in football has not been a conventional one.
He was part of over four years in the Saints’ youth system starting at eight, skipping school each Friday to fly from his home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could attend training and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to he turned 13, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth were willing to offer him an option and he remained with them for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind was not in it.
Rather, he chose to stay on Guernsey and play for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and traveling every week was becoming overwhelming,” he explained.
“All I desired to relax at my home with my friends at weekends because I had missed almost four and a half years of doing that. To have that slice of childhood again was something I really needed.
“To gain a bit of confidence by coming back and taking part in island football was huge for me. It was probably the most crucial things that got me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, Scott made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a second-half substitute in their Isthmian League fixture at the opposition.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could get him in the side because his talent is obvious,” manager Tony Vance stated at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the way he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Second-tier club Bristol City – owned by Guernsey resident their owner – had been monitoring Scott’s development after an impressive start in men’s football and gave him a trial in late 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” said Scott. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the second day I was with the first team, which was a total shock.
“On the Wednesday I featured for Guernsey FC in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I played for the youth team and scored a hat-trick. From that point a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
In just 18 months, still well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut against the Hatters.
Scott went on to make eighty-three league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, frequently being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally in attack 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.
With his skill to drive the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to City and national team attacking midfielder Jack 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 best XI and was voted Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I think he’ll play for England and I think he’ll go on to the top of the game,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.
Within three months after, he joined the Cherries for a reported fee of £25m.
Securing his major transfer
Scott endured a challenging first season with the club, waiting until October to earn his top-flight debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then being in and out of the team.
His following season was equally disrupted, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for nearly several months.
“There was quite a good run at the close of last season, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said he.
“It was yet another obstacle and the year was turning out to be quite a terrible year for the first half.”
But he was then selected by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to regain fitness in time.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six games as they went on to win the tournament in the host nation, forming a formidable understanding in the middle with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the senior side with the national coach.
And he has begun the current campaign just as strongly for Bournemouth, playing in every game to guide them to the top five in the table.
“To play for the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my life,” the player said earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I must keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying the game, getting better day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
