Back when the young midfielder made his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his coach at the time predicted, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
That prediction proved to be a bit of an underestimation.
Now 22 years old and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has earned his maiden summons to the full England team.
His rise from non-league prodigy to potential England player is a proper throwback, a story seldom seen in the modern game.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a pro footballer, never mind playing in the top division and playing for the national team too,” Scott said previously.
“It has been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have transformed drastically for me and my loved ones.”
But how did Alex Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up at this level?
Learning in non-league
Scott’s football journey has been far from a typical one.
He was part of four and a half years in the Saints’ youth system starting at eight, skipping school each Friday to travel by air from his island home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could attend training and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they released him. The Cherries gave Scott an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, as he later admitted, his mind was not in it.
Instead, he chose to remain on the island and turn out for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and flying over every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he explained.
“I just wanted to relax at my home with my friends at the weekend because I had missed almost four and a half years of doing that. Getting that slice of childhood back was something I really needed.
“Building a bit of confidence by coming back and playing island football was huge for me. It was perhaps the most crucial factors that got me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, Scott became the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he was introduced as a 57th-minute replacement in their league fixture at the opposition.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could include him in the side because he’s that good,” manager the coach stated at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the way he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Second-tier club the Robins – chaired by islander Steve Lansdown – had been tracking Scott’s development after an promising start in men’s football and arranged a trial in December 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” recalled Scott. “Day one I trained with the under-18s, the second day I was with the first team, which was a complete surprise.
“Midweek I played for Guernsey FC in London, returned home and on the Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a hat-trick. It was almost a done deal for me to sign a contract.”
In just 18 months, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut against Luton.
He went on to make 83 league appearances for the club while in his teens, often being deployed as a wide defender – and sometimes further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his versatility and versatility. Even at that young age 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 ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he claimed the EFL Championship’s young player of the season honour, was chosen in the division’s best XI and was named the club’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I believe he’ll play for England and I’m sure he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s manager at the club, stated previously.
Less than 90 days after, he signed for Bournemouth for a understood transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his major transfer
The midfielder endured a challenging first season with the club, waiting until October to earn his top-flight debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then finding himself in and out of the starting XI.
His second campaign was equally disrupted, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for nearly four months.
“I had quite a good run at the close of last season, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained he.
“That felt like yet another obstacle and it was shaping up as quite a terrible start for the first half.”
But he was then selected by England for the U21 Euros – and managed to get himself fit for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six matches as they claimed victory in the competition in Slovakia, developing a strong understanding in the middle with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the first team with the national coach.
And he has begun the current campaign just as impressively for his club, playing in all matches to guide them to fifth in the table.
“Representing the England senior team would be among the most special moments of my career,” Scott stated recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for football, getting better every day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
