When the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before just 55 fans in 2019, his manager back then assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
This statement turned out to be something of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has just received his first summons to the senior England team.
His rise from non-league prodigy to potential England player is a true throwback, a story seldom seen in the modern era.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was no chance of becoming a professional football player, let alone playing in the top division and representing England as well,” the player said in a recent interview.
“It has been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and things have changed drastically for myself and my family.”
So in what way did Alex Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself at this level?
Learning in non-league
His football journey has been far from a conventional one.
He spent over four years in the Saints’ youth system starting at eight, leaving school early each Friday to travel by air from his island home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could attend training and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to he turned 13, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth were willing to offer Scott an option and he remained with them for a while, but, as he later admitted, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he chose to stay on Guernsey and turn out for his local team.
“My form had dipped and flying over every week was becoming overwhelming,” he recalled.
“All I desired to chill at my home with my friends at the weekend because I missed almost several years of doing that. To have that slice of youth back was a thing I definitely needed.
“To gain a bit of confidence by returning and taking part in island football was massive for me. It was perhaps the most crucial things that led me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, Scott became the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a second-half replacement 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,” manager Tony Vance stated at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Second-tier club Bristol City – chaired by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring Scott’s early progress after an promising beginning in adult football and arranged a try-out in December 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” said the player. “The first day I trained with the under-18s, the next day I trained with the first team, which was a total surprise.
“Midweek I featured for Guernsey FC in the capital, travelled back and on the Friday, I played for the youth team and scored a three goals. From that point a certainty for me to sign a deal.”
In just a year and a half, even well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut versus Luton.
He made 83 league appearances for the club while still a teenager, frequently being deployed as a wing-back – 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 their best player.
Thanks to his ability to carry the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and national team playmaker Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the second tier’s best young player award, was selected 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’m sure he will progress to the top of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s manager at Ashton Gate, stated previously.
Within three months later, he joined Bournemouth for a understood fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his big move
Scott endured a challenging debut campaign with the club, waiting until October to earn his top-flight debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then finding himself inconsistent of the team.
His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for nearly several months.
“I had quite a good run at the end of last season, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said Scott.
“It was yet another setback and the year was shaping up as quite a terrible year for the first half.”
But he was then called up by England for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in regain fitness for the tournament.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six games as they claimed victory in the tournament in the host nation, developing a formidable understanding in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has gone on to impress for the senior side with the national coach.
And he has started this season just as impressively for his club, playing in all matches to guide them to the top five in the table.
“To play for the national team would be one of the proudest occasions of my career,” Scott stated recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I must continue developing as a footballer, keep enjoying the game, improving day on day, and hopefully I impress the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
