When the young midfielder made his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his manager at the time assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
This prediction turned out to be something of an underestimation.
Today 22 years old and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the playmaker has earned his maiden summons to the full England team.
His rise from non-league prodigy to possible England player is a proper blast from the past, a journey rarely told in the modern game.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was no chance of becoming a pro footballer, let alone playing in the Premier League and playing for the national team as well,” the player stated previously.
“It has been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and things have transformed completely for me and my loved ones.”
So in what way did Alex Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up here?
Learning in non-league
His path in football has been far from a conventional one.
He spent four and a half years in Southampton’s youth system starting at eight, skipping school every Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could attend training and play for the club’s academy sides.
Before his 13th birthday, though, they decided to let him go. The Cherries gave Scott an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, as he later admitted, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he opted to stay on Guernsey and turn out for his local team.
“My form had dipped and traveling every week was becoming overwhelming,” he explained.
“All I desired to relax at my home with my mates at the weekend because I had missed almost several years of that experience. Getting that slice of youth again was something I really required.
“To gain some confidence by coming back and taking part in local football was massive for me. That proved to be probably one of the most important things that led me to this point.”
At the age of 16, Scott became the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a 57th-minute substitute in their Isthmian League fixture at the opposition.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could get him in the team because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance commented at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the way he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the professional game
Championship side Bristol City – owned by Guernsey resident their owner – had been monitoring his development after an impressive start in men’s football and arranged a trial in late 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled Scott. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the next day I trained with the senior squad, which was a total shock.
“Midweek I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I played for the youth team and netted a hat-trick. From that point a done deal for me to sign a contract.”
In just a year and a half, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut versus Luton.
Scott went on to make 83 league appearances for the club while in his teens, frequently being deployed as a wing-back – and sometimes further forward as a number 10 – such was his versatility and versatility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was their best player.
With his ability to drive the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to City and England attacking midfielder Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he won the second tier’s young player of the season honour, was selected in the division’s team of the year and was named Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I think he will represent his country and I’m sure he will progress to the pinnacle of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at the club, remarked last year.
Less than 90 days after, he joined the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of £25m.
Getting his major transfer
The midfielder experienced a challenging debut campaign with the club, having to wait until the autumn to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.
His following season was equally affected, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for nearly four months.
“There was quite a good run at the end of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said Scott.
“That felt like almost another setback and the year 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 succeeded in get himself fit in time.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six games as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, developing a strong understanding in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who himself has excelled for the senior side under the national coach.
And he has started the current campaign equally as impressively for his club, featuring in every game to help them to the top five in the table.
“To play for the national team would be one of the proudest moments of my life,” Scott said recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying the game, getting better day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
