Back when the young midfielder made his local team debut against Phoenix Sports before just 55 spectators in 2019, his manager back then assured, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
That prediction turned out to be something of an underestimation.
Now 22 years old and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the midfielder has earned his maiden summons to the full Three Lions squad.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to potential England player is a proper throwback, a journey rarely told in the modern game.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was no chance of becoming a pro footballer, never mind featuring in the top division and representing England too,” the player stated in a recent interview.
“It has been a crazy five or six years of my life, and things have transformed completely for me and my loved ones.”
But how did Alex Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up here?
Learning in non-league
Scott’s football journey has been far from a conventional one.
He spent four and a half years in the Saints’ academy setup from the age of eight, skipping school each Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could attend training and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Before his 13th birthday, however, they released him. Bournemouth gave him an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, as he later admitted, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he chose to stay on Guernsey and play for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over every week was starting to feel a bit too much,” he explained.
“All I desired to relax at my home with my mates at weekends because I had missed almost several years of doing that. To have that slice of youth back was something I definitely required.
“To gain some confidence by returning and playing local football was massive for me. It was perhaps one of the most important factors that got me to this point.”
At the age of 16, Scott made history as the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a second-half substitute in their league match at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the side because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss the coach commented back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the professional game
Championship side Bristol City – owned by islander their owner – had been tracking Scott’s early progress after an impressive beginning in adult football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.
“It was hectic,” recalled the player. “The first day I joined the youth team, the next day I was with the first team, which was a total shock.
“On the Wednesday I featured for Guernsey FC in London, returned home and on the Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a hat-trick. It was almost a done deal for me to sign a deal.”
Within a year and a half, still well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut against the Hatters.
He went on to make eighty-three league outings for the club while in his teens, frequently being used as a wing-back – and sometimes in attack as a number 10 – demonstrating his versatility and versatility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was their best player.
With his skill to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and England playmaker Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he claimed the EFL Championship’s best young player award, was selected in the league’s team of the year and was named 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 pinnacle of the game,” his former manager, the player’s manager at the club, remarked previously.
Within three months after, he signed for Bournemouth for a reported fee of £25m.
Getting his major transfer
The midfielder experienced a challenging first season with the Cherries, waiting until October to make his top-flight debut after a knee injury in the summer, 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 nearly several months.
“There was quite a good run at the close of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” said Scott.
“That felt like almost another setback and the year was turning out to be quite a terrible year for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by England for the U21 Euros – and managed to get himself fit for the tournament.
He started five of the England U21s’ six games as they claimed victory in the tournament in the host nation, forming a formidable partnership in midfield with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the senior side under the national coach.
And he has begun this season just as impressively for Bournemouth, featuring in all matches to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“Representing the national team would be one of the proudest occasions of my life,” the player said earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a footballer, maintain my love for football, getting better every day, and hopefully I impress the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
