When the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut against Phoenix Sports before just 55 spectators in 2019, his coach back then assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
That statement turned out to be a bit of an understatement.
Now 22 years old and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has earned his maiden summons to the senior England squad.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to possible international star is a proper blast from the past, a journey seldom seen in the modern era.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of making it as a pro footballer, never mind featuring in the top division and representing England too,” the player stated in a recent interview.
“It has been a crazy five or six years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for me and my family.”
So how did Alex Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself here?
Developing in the lower tiers
Scott’s path in football has been far from a typical one.
He was part of four and a half years in the Saints’ youth system from the age of eight, skipping school each Friday to fly from his island home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could train and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before he turned 13, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth were willing to offer him an opportunity and he remained with them for a while, but, as he later admitted, his heart was not in it.
Instead, he opted to remain on the island and play for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and flying over every week was becoming a bit too much,” he explained.
“All I desired to chill at home with my friends at weekends because I had missed nearly four and a half years of that experience. To have that slice of childhood again was a thing I definitely needed.
“To gain a bit of confidence by coming back and taking part in local football was massive for me. That proved to be perhaps the most crucial factors that led me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, the teenager became the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a 57th-minute substitute in their league match at Phoenix Sports.
“I had sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could get him in the side because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss the coach stated back then.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the way he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Championship side Bristol City – chaired by islander their owner – had been tracking his development after an promising start in men’s football and arranged a try-out in late 2019.
“It was hectic,” said Scott. “The first day I joined the under-18s, the next day I trained with the senior squad, which was a total shock.
“Midweek I featured for his local side in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
Within 18 months, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut against Luton.
Scott went on to make 83 league outings for the club while in his teens, frequently being used as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his versatility and versatility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his ability to carry the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the second tier’s best young player honour, was selected in the league’s best XI and was voted the club’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I believe he’ll play for England and I’m sure he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s manager at the club, stated previously.
Less than 90 days later, he joined the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his major transfer
Scott experienced a challenging debut campaign with the Cherries, having to wait until October to make his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then finding himself inconsistent of the starting XI.
His following season was just as disrupted, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for nearly several months.
“I had quite a good run at the close of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained Scott.
“That felt like yet another setback and the year was shaping up as a pretty bad start for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in get himself fit for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six games as they went on to win the tournament in the host nation, developing a strong partnership in midfield with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun this season just as impressively for his club, playing in every game 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 life,” Scott stated earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a player, keep enjoying football, getting better every day, and with luck I impress the national coach and get my chance.”
