Back when the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then assured, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
This prediction turned out to be something of an understatement.
Now 22 years old and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the midfielder has earned his maiden call-up to the senior England squad.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to potential international star is a true blast from the past, a story seldom told in the modern game.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was no chance of making it as a professional football player, let alone featuring in the Premier League and playing for England as well,” the player stated in a recent interview.
“It has been a incredible five or six years of my life, and things have changed drastically for me and my loved ones.”
So in what way did Alex Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up here?
Learning in the lower tiers
His path in football has not been a conventional one.
He was part of over four years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, skipping school every Friday to fly from his island home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could attend training and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. The Cherries were willing to offer Scott an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he opted to remain on the island and play for his local team.
“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 the weekend because I missed nearly several years of doing that. Getting that little bit of youth back was something I definitely needed.
“To gain a bit of confidence by returning and playing local football was huge for me. It was probably the most crucial things that got me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, the teenager made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he was introduced as a second-half substitute in their Isthmian League fixture at the opposition.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could include him in the side because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss the coach commented back then.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the manner he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Second-tier club Bristol City – chaired by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring Scott’s development after an impressive start in men’s football and gave him a trial in late 2019.
“It was chaos,” said Scott. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the second day I was with the senior squad, which was a total shock.
“Midweek I played for his local side in London, travelled back and on the Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a hat-trick. From that point a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
Within a year and a half, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut versus the Hatters.
Scott made eighty-three league outings for the club while still a teenager, frequently being deployed as a wing-back – and sometimes in attack as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his versatility and versatility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
With his skill to carry the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he won the EFL Championship’s young player of the season honour, was chosen in the division’s best XI and was voted the club’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I think he’ll play for his country and I’m sure he will progress to the pinnacle of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s boss at the club, stated previously.
Less than three months later, he joined the Cherries for a understood fee of £25m.
Getting his big move
The midfielder endured a challenging first season with the club, having to wait until the autumn to make his Premier League debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then finding himself in and out of the starting XI.
His following season was just as affected, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for nearly several months.
“There was a decent run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained he.
“It was yet another obstacle and it was turning out to be quite a terrible start for the first half.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to regain fitness in time.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six games as they claimed victory in the competition in Slovakia, developing a strong partnership in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has gone on to impress for the senior side with the national coach.
And he has started this season equally as impressively for Bournemouth, featuring in every game to help them to the top five in the standings.
“To play for the England senior team would be among the most special occasions of my life,” Scott stated recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I must continue developing as a footballer, keep enjoying the game, getting better every day, and hopefully I impress the national coach and get my chance.”
