When the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager at the time assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
This prediction proved to be a bit of an understatement.
Now aged 22 and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the midfielder has earned his maiden summons to the senior Three Lions squad.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to possible England player is a true throwback, a story rarely told in the modern game.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of making it as a professional football player, let alone featuring in the top division and playing for England too,” the player stated previously.
“It’s been a crazy five or six years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for myself and my loved ones.”
But how did Alex Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up here?
Learning in non-league
His path in football has been far from a conventional one.
He was part of four and a half years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, skipping school each Friday to travel by air from his island home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could attend training and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth were willing to offer Scott an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, as he later admitted, his heart was not in it.
Rather, he chose to stay on Guernsey 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 mates at the weekend because I had missed nearly several years of doing that. To have that little bit of youth back was something I really needed.
“Building a bit of confidence by coming back and taking part in island football was huge for me. It was perhaps the most crucial factors that got me to this point.”
When he was just 16, the teenager made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he came on as a 57th-minute replacement in their Isthmian League match at the opposition.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could include him in the side because his talent is obvious,” manager the coach stated back then.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Second-tier club the Robins – owned by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring his development after an impressive start in men’s football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” recalled the player. “Day one I trained with the youth team, the second day I trained with the senior squad, which was a total shock.
“On the Wednesday I featured for his local side in the capital, returned home and on the Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a three goals. From that point a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
In just a year and a half, still well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut versus Luton.
Scott went on to make 83 league appearances for the club 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. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his skill to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team playmaker Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he won the second tier’s young player of the season honour, was chosen in the league’s team of the year and was named the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I believe he’ll play for England and I’m sure he will progress to the pinnacle of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s manager at the club, remarked last year.
Less than three months later, he signed for the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of £25m.
Securing his major transfer
Scott experienced a challenging first season with the Cherries, waiting until October to make his Premier League debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then being inconsistent of the team.
His second campaign was equally disrupted, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for nearly several months.
“There was a decent run at the end of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained he.
“It was yet another setback and the year was shaping up as a pretty bad year for the first half.”
But he was then selected by England for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in regain fitness for the tournament.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six games as they claimed victory in the competition in the host nation, developing a formidable understanding in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who himself has excelled for the senior side under the national coach.
And he has started this season just as strongly for Bournemouth, playing in all matches to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“To play for the national team would be among the most special moments of my career,” Scott stated earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I must continue developing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, getting better day on day, and hopefully I impress the England manager and get my chance.”
