When the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his coach back then assured, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
That prediction turned out to be a bit of an underestimation.
Today 22 years old and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the playmaker has earned his first call-up to the senior Three Lions team.
His rise from non-league prodigy to potential England player is a true throwback, a journey rarely seen in the modern game.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was no chance of becoming a professional football player, let alone playing in the Premier League and playing for England as well,” the player said in a recent interview.
“It has been a crazy half-dozen 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’, find himself at this level?
Learning in the lower tiers
His path in football has not been a conventional one.
He spent 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 mainland so he could train and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Before his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth gave him an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind was not in it.
Instead, he opted to remain on Guernsey and play for his local team.
“My form had dipped and flying over every week was starting to feel a bit too much,” he explained.
“I just wanted to chill at home with my mates at weekends because I missed almost four and a half years of that experience. To have that slice of childhood back was something I definitely needed.
“To gain a bit of confidence by coming back and taking part in island football was huge for me. That proved to be perhaps one of the most important factors that got me to this point.”
When he was just 16, the teenager became the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he was introduced as a second-half substitute in their league match at the opposition.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the side because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance commented back then.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the way he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Second-tier club the Robins – chaired by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking Scott’s early progress after an impressive start in men’s football and gave him a trial in late 2019.
“It was chaos,” said Scott. “The first day I joined the youth team, the second day I trained with the senior squad, which was a total surprise.
“On the Wednesday 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. It was almost a done deal for me to sign a deal.”
In just 18 months, still well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut against the Hatters.
Scott made eighty-three league outings for the Robins while still a teenager, often being used as a wing-back – and sometimes further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his adaptability and flexibility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was their best player.
With 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 City and England playmaker Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the second tier’s best young player award, was chosen in the division’s team of the year and was voted Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I think 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 last year.
Less than three months later, he joined the Cherries for a understood transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his major transfer
Scott experienced a challenging first season with the Cherries, having to wait until October to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then finding himself inconsistent of the team.
His following season was just as affected, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for nearly several months.
“I had a decent run at the close of last season, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said he.
“That felt like yet another obstacle and it was turning out to be a pretty bad start for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to regain fitness in time.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six matches as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, developing a formidable partnership in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who himself has gone on to impress for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started the current campaign equally as impressively for Bournemouth, featuring in every game to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“Representing the national team would be among the most special occasions of my career,” the player said recently.
“It’s down to me, I must continue developing as a player, maintain my love for the game, improving every day, and with luck I catch the eye of the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
