Back when the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager at the time assured, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
That prediction proved to be something of an underestimation.
Now 22 years old and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his first call-up to the senior England team.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to potential England player is a proper blast from the past, a journey seldom told in the modern era.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was no chance of making it as a professional football player, never mind featuring in the top division and playing for England as well,” the player stated previously.
“It’s 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 affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up here?
Learning in the lower tiers
Scott’s football journey has been far from a typical one.
He was part of over four years in Southampton’s youth system starting at eight, skipping school each Friday to travel by air from his island home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could train and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before he turned 13, though, they released him. Bournemouth were willing to offer him an option and he remained with them for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he opted to remain on the island and play for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and traveling weekly was becoming a bit too much,” he explained.
“I just wanted to chill at home with my friends at weekends because I missed almost four and a half years of doing that. Getting that little bit of youth again was a thing I really required.
“Building a bit of confidence by coming back and taking part in local football was massive for me. It was probably the most crucial things that led me to this point.”
At the age of 16, Scott became the youngest player in the club’s records when he was introduced as a 57th-minute replacement in their Isthmian League fixture at the opposition.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the side because he’s that good,” manager the coach commented back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the professional game
Second-tier club Bristol City – chaired by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking his early progress after an impressive start in adult football and gave him a trial in December 2019.
“It was hectic,” recalled Scott. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the second day I was with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.
“Midweek I played for his local side in London, returned home and on the Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a three goals. It was almost a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
In just a year and a half, even well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut versus Luton.
Scott went on to make 83 league outings for the Robins while in his teens, frequently being used as a wing-back – and sometimes in attack as a number 10 – demonstrating his adaptability and versatility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
With his skill to carry the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to City and England playmaker Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he won the EFL Championship’s best young player award, was selected in the league’s team of the year and was named the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I think he will represent his country and I’m sure he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at the club, stated previously.
Within three months later, he joined Bournemouth for a reported fee of £25m.
Securing his major transfer
The midfielder endured a challenging first season with the club, having to wait until the autumn to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then being in and out of the starting XI.
His following season was equally disrupted, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for nearly several months.
“There was a decent run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained Scott.
“It was yet another obstacle and the year was turning out to be a pretty bad start for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by England for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in get himself fit for the tournament.
He started five of the England U21s’ six matches as they went on to win the competition in Slovakia, developing a formidable partnership in midfield with his teammate, who in turn has gone on to impress for the senior side under the national coach.
And he has begun this season just as impressively for his club, playing in every game to help them to fifth in the standings.
“To play for the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my life,” Scott stated recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for the game, improving every day, and hopefully I impress the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
