When the young midfielder made his local team debut against Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his coach back then assured, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
That statement turned out to be something of an understatement.
Today aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has earned his first summons to the senior England squad.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to possible international star is a proper throwback, a story seldom seen in the modern era.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was no chance of making it as a professional football player, let alone playing in the Premier League and representing the national team too,” Scott stated in a recent interview.
“It has been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have changed drastically for myself and my family.”
So how did Alex Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up at this level?
Learning in non-league
His path in football has not been a conventional one.
He spent four and a half years in Southampton’s academy setup starting at eight, leaving school early each Friday to travel by air from his home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could attend training and play for the club’s academy sides.
Before his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. The Cherries gave Scott an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, as he later admitted, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he opted to remain on Guernsey and play for his local team.
“My form had dipped and traveling weekly was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.
“All I desired to chill at home with my friends at weekends because I had missed nearly several years of that experience. To have that little bit of childhood back was a thing I definitely required.
“Building some confidence by returning and taking part in local football was massive for me. It was probably one of the most important factors that got me to this point.”
When he was just 16, Scott became the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a second-half substitute in their Isthmian League match at the opposition.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could include him in the side because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss the coach stated at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the manner he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Championship side Bristol City – chaired by islander their owner – had been tracking Scott’s early progress after an promising start in men’s football and arranged a trial in late 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” said Scott. “The first day I joined the youth team, the second day I trained with the first team, which was a complete shock.
“Midweek I played for his local side in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I played for the youth team and scored a three goals. From that point a done deal for me to sign a deal.”
Within a year and a half, still well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut versus the Hatters.
He went on to make 83 league outings for the Robins while still a teenager, frequently being used as a wing-back – and sometimes in attack as a attacking midfielder – such was his adaptability and versatility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role 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 picked up the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and England playmaker Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he won the second tier’s young player of the season award, was selected in the division’s best XI and was voted Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I believe he will represent England and I think he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s manager at the club, remarked previously.
Less than three months later, he signed for the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his major transfer
The midfielder experienced a challenging first season with the club, waiting until the autumn to make his top-flight 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 surgery which sidelined him for almost four months.
“I had a decent run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained he.
“It was yet another obstacle and it was shaping up as quite a terrible year for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in regain fitness in time.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six matches as they claimed victory in the competition in Slovakia, forming a strong understanding in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who himself has gone on to impress for the first team under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started the current campaign just as impressively for his club, playing in all matches to help them to fifth in the standings.
“Representing the national team would be among the most special moments of my life,” the player stated earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, keep enjoying the game, improving day on day, and with luck I catch the eye of the national coach and get my chance.”
