Back when the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut against Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 spectators in 2019, his coach back then assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
That statement proved to be something of an understatement.
Today aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the midfielder has just received his maiden call-up to the full Three Lions squad.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to potential international star is a proper blast from the past, a story rarely told in the modern era.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was no chance of making it as a pro footballer, never mind featuring in the Premier League and playing for England as well,” Scott said in a recent interview.
“It’s been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have changed completely for me and my family.”
So how did Alex Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself at this level?
Learning in the lower tiers
His football journey has not been a conventional one.
He was part of over four years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, skipping school every Friday to fly from his island home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could train and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to his 13th birthday, though, they decided to let him go. The Cherries were willing to offer him 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 stay on Guernsey and turn out for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and flying over weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he explained.
“All I desired to chill at my home with my mates at weekends because I had missed almost several years of that experience. To have that slice of childhood back was something I definitely needed.
“Building a bit of self-belief by coming back and taking part in island football was huge for me. That proved to be probably the most crucial factors that got me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, Scott made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he was introduced as a 57th-minute substitute in their league fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could get him in the team because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance commented back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the way he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Championship side Bristol City – owned by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking Scott’s early progress after an impressive beginning in men’s football and gave him a try-out in late 2019.
“It was chaos,” said Scott. “Day one I trained with the youth team, the second day I trained with the first team, which was a total shock.
“Midweek I played for Guernsey FC in London, returned home and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and scored a three goals. From that point a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
In just a year and a half, even well before his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut against the Hatters.
Scott made 83 league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, often being used as a wing-back – and sometimes in attack as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his adaptability and versatility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was their best player.
With his skill to drive 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 City and national team playmaker Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he won the EFL Championship’s best young player honour, was selected in the league’s team of the year and was named the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I believe he’ll play for England and I’m sure he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the game,” his former manager, Scott’s boss at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.
Within 90 days after, he joined Bournemouth for a reported fee of £25m.
Securing his big move
The midfielder experienced a difficult debut campaign with the Cherries, waiting until the autumn to make his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then being inconsistent of the team.
His second campaign was just as disrupted, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for nearly four 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.
“That felt like yet another obstacle and it was turning out to be a pretty bad year for the first half.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in regain fitness in time.
He went on to start 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 himself has gone on to impress for the first team under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started this season equally as impressively for his club, playing in all matches to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“To play for the national team would be one of the proudest moments of my career,” the player said earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, getting better day on day, and with luck I impress the national coach and get my chance.”
