When the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his coach at the time assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
That statement turned out to be a bit of an underestimation.
Today aged 22 and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his maiden summons to the full England squad.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to potential international star is a true throwback, a journey rarely told in the modern game.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of making it as a pro footballer, let alone playing in the top division and representing the national team as well,” Scott stated previously.
“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have changed drastically for me and my loved ones.”
So how did Alex Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up here?
Developing in the lower tiers
His football journey has been far from a typical 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 island home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could attend training and play for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to he turned 13, though, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth were willing to offer him an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, as he later admitted, his heart was not in it.
Instead, he opted to remain on Guernsey and play for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and flying over weekly was starting to feel overwhelming,” he explained.
“I just wanted to chill at home with my friends at the weekend because I missed nearly several years of doing that. To have that slice of youth again was a thing I definitely needed.
“To gain a bit of confidence by returning and playing island football was huge for me. That proved to be perhaps one of the most important things that led me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, Scott became the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a 57th-minute replacement in their Isthmian League match at the opposition.
“I had sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the team because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance stated back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Championship side the Robins – owned by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring his early progress after an promising beginning in men’s football and arranged a try-out in December 2019.
“It was hectic,” recalled the player. “The first day I joined the under-18s, the next day I was with the senior squad, which was a total surprise.
“Midweek I played for his local side in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and netted a three goals. From that point a certainty for me to sign a deal.”
In just 18 months, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut versus Luton.
He made 83 league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, often being used as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – demonstrating his adaptability and flexibility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his ability to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to Manchester 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 chosen in the division’s team of the year and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I believe he will represent his country and I think he’ll go on to the top of the game,” his former manager, the player’s manager at the club, remarked previously.
Less than three months later, he signed for the Cherries for a understood fee of £25m.
Getting his major transfer
Scott endured a challenging 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 in and out of the team.
His following season was just as affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for almost several months.
“I had a decent run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained he.
“It was yet another setback and it was shaping up as a pretty bad year for the first half.”
But he was then selected by England for the U21 Euros – and managed to get himself fit in time.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six games as they claimed victory in the tournament in the host nation, developing a strong partnership in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has gone on to impress for the senior side under the national coach.
And he has started this season equally as impressively for Bournemouth, playing in every game to help them to fifth in the standings.
“To play for the England senior team would be among the most special moments 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 the game, getting better day on day, and with luck I impress the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
