When the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 spectators in 2019, his manager at the time assured, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
This prediction turned out to be something of an understatement.
Today 22 years old and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the playmaker has just received his maiden call-up to the full Three Lions squad.
His rise from non-league prodigy to potential international star is a true blast from the past, a journey seldom told in the modern game.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was no chance of becoming a pro footballer, never mind playing in the Premier League and playing for the national team as well,” Scott stated in a recent interview.
“It has been a crazy five or six years of my life, and things have changed completely for me and my loved ones.”
But how did Alex Scott, referred to 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 was part of four and a half years in Southampton’s youth system from the age of eight, leaving school early each Friday to travel by air from his home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could attend training and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Before he turned 13, though, they released him. 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 chose to remain on Guernsey and turn out for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he explained.
“I just wanted to relax at my home with my friends at weekends because I had missed nearly four and a half years of doing that. To have that little bit of childhood back was something I really required.
“Building some confidence by returning and taking part in local football was massive for me. It was perhaps the most crucial things that led me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, the teenager became the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a 57th-minute 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,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance commented back then.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the way he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Championship side Bristol City – chaired by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring Scott’s early progress after an impressive beginning in adult football and gave him a trial in late 2019.
“It was hectic,” recalled the player. “Day one I trained with the under-18s, the second day I trained with the senior squad, which was a total shock.
“On the Wednesday I featured for his local side in London, returned home and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a hat-trick. From that point a done deal for me to sign a contract.”
Within 18 months, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut against Luton.
He went on to make 83 league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, frequently being used as a wide defender – and occasionally in attack 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 ability to carry the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to City and national team attacking midfielder Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he won the second tier’s young player of the season honour, was selected in the league’s team of the year and was voted the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I believe he’ll play for England and I think he will progress to the pinnacle of the sport,” his former manager, Scott’s boss at the club, remarked previously.
Less than 90 days later, he signed for the Cherries for a understood transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his big move
Scott endured a challenging debut campaign with the Cherries, having to wait until October to make his Premier League debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then finding himself inconsistent of the starting XI.
His following season was equally affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for almost four months.
“I had a decent run at the end of last season, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said he.
“That felt like yet another setback and the year was shaping up as quite a terrible year for the first half.”
But he was then selected by England for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in regain fitness for the tournament.
He started five of the England U21s’ six games as they claimed victory in the competition in Slovakia, forming a strong understanding in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who himself has gone on to impress for the senior side under the national coach.
And he has started this season just as impressively for Bournemouth, featuring in every game to help them to fifth in the standings.
“To play for the national team would be among the most special occasions of my life,” Scott stated earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I must continue developing as a player, keep enjoying football, improving day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
