When the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager at the time assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
This statement turned out to be something of an understatement.
Now aged 22 and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the playmaker has just received his first call-up to the senior England team.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to possible England player is a true blast from the past, a story rarely told in the modern era.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of becoming a pro footballer, never mind playing in the Premier League and representing England too,” the player said previously.
“It’s been a crazy five or six years of my life, and circumstances have transformed completely for me and my loved ones.”
But how did Alex Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up at this level?
Developing in the lower tiers
Scott’s path in football has been far from a typical one.
He was part of over four years in Southampton’s youth system starting at eight, leaving school early each Friday to fly from his island home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could attend training and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they released him. Bournemouth gave Scott an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, as he later admitted, his heart was not in it.
Instead, he chose to stay on Guernsey and turn out for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling weekly was starting to feel a bit too much,” he explained.
“I just wanted to relax at home with my friends at the weekend because I missed almost several years of that experience. To have that little bit of youth back was a thing I really required.
“Building some self-belief by returning and taking part in island football was massive for me. It was probably the most crucial things that got me to this point.”
At the age of 16, Scott made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a second-half substitute in their Isthmian League fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could include him in the team because his talent is obvious,” manager Tony Vance stated back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the manner he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Championship side Bristol City – owned by Guernsey resident their owner – had been monitoring Scott’s development after an promising start in adult football and arranged a try-out in late 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” said Scott. “Day one I trained with the under-18s, the second day I was with the senior squad, which was a total surprise.
“On the Wednesday I featured for Guernsey FC in London, travelled back and on the Friday, I took the field for the youth team and scored a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to sign a deal.”
In just a year and a half, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut against Luton.
He went on to make eighty-three league appearances for the Robins while still a teenager, frequently being deployed as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – such was his adaptability and versatility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
With his ability to carry the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he won the second tier’s young player of the season honour, was selected in the division’s best XI and was named Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I believe he’ll play for his country and I’m sure he will progress to the pinnacle of the sport,” his former manager, Scott’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.
Less than 90 days after, he joined the Cherries for a understood fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his major transfer
Scott experienced a challenging debut campaign with the club, waiting until October to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then finding himself in and out of the team.
His following season was equally affected, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for almost four months.
“There was quite a good run at the close of last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.
“It was yet another obstacle and the year was shaping up as quite a terrible start for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by England for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in regain fitness in time.
He started five of the England U21s’ six matches as they went on to win the tournament in the host nation, forming a formidable partnership in the middle with his teammate, who in turn has gone on to impress for the first team with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun this season equally as strongly for Bournemouth, playing in every game to guide them to fifth in the table.
“Representing the national team would be among the most special moments of my career,” the player said recently.
“It’s down to me, I must keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying the game, getting better every day, and hopefully I impress the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
