When the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
That prediction turned out to be something of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 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 possible international star is a proper throwback, a story seldom told in the modern era.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of making it as a professional football player, let alone playing in the top division and representing the national team too,” the player stated previously.
“It’s been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and things have changed completely for me and my family.”
So how did Alex Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself here?
Learning in non-league
Scott’s football journey has been far from a typical one.
He was part of over four years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, leaving school early every Friday to travel by air from his island home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could attend training and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to his 13th birthday, though, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth were willing to offer him an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind was not in it.
Instead, he chose to stay on the island and turn out for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and traveling every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to relax at my home with my mates at weekends because I missed almost several years of doing that. To have that little bit of youth back was something I really needed.
“To gain some confidence by returning and playing local football was massive for me. That proved to be perhaps the most crucial things that led me to this point.”
When he was just 16, the teenager became the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a second-half replacement in their league fixture at the opposition.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping 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 at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Second-tier club Bristol City – owned by islander their owner – had been monitoring Scott’s early progress after an impressive beginning in men’s football and arranged a trial in December 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” said the player. “The first day I joined the under-18s, the second day I was with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.
“On the Wednesday I played for his local side in the capital, travelled back 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 18 months, still well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut against Luton.
Scott made eighty-three league outings for the Robins while still a teenager, often being deployed as a wide defender – and sometimes in attack as a number 10 – demonstrating his adaptability and flexibility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his skill to drive the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team attacking midfielder Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the EFL Championship’s young player of the season award, was chosen in the league’s best XI and was named Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I believe he will represent England and I think he will progress to the top of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated previously.
Less than 90 days after, he joined the Cherries for a understood fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his big move
Scott endured a challenging debut campaign with the club, waiting until the autumn to make his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then finding himself inconsistent of the team.
His second campaign was just as affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for nearly four months.
“I had quite a good run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained Scott.
“It was almost another setback and the year was turning out to be a pretty bad year for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in regain fitness in time.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six games as they claimed victory in the tournament in Slovakia, developing a strong understanding in midfield with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the first team under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started the current campaign just as impressively for Bournemouth, playing in every game to guide them to fifth in the standings.
“To play for the England senior 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, maintain my love for the game, improving every day, and with luck I catch the eye of the national coach and get my chance.”
