When the young midfielder made his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports before just 55 spectators in 2019, his coach at the time assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
That prediction proved to be something of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has just received his first summons to the full Three Lions squad.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to possible England player is a true blast from the past, a journey seldom seen in the modern game.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was no chance of making it as a professional football player, let alone playing in the top division and representing England as well,” the player said previously.
“It’s been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have transformed completely for myself and my family.”
But how did Alex Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up at this level?
Learning in non-league
Scott’s path in football has not been a conventional one.
He was part of four and a half years in Southampton’s academy setup starting at eight, skipping school each Friday to travel by air from his home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could train and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they released him. The Cherries were willing to offer him an option and he remained with them for a while, but, as he later admitted, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he opted to stay on Guernsey and play for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over weekly was starting to feel a bit too much,” he recalled.
“All I desired to chill at home with my friends at weekends because I missed nearly four and a half years of doing that. Getting that slice of childhood again was something I really required.
“Building a bit of confidence by coming back and playing local football was huge for me. That proved to be probably one of the most important things that led me to this point.”
When he was just 16, Scott became the youngest player in the club’s records when he was introduced as a 57th-minute replacement in their league match at the opposition.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could include him in the team because his talent is obvious,” manager the coach stated back then.
“Everyone’s now seen 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
Championship side the Robins – owned by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking his early progress after an impressive beginning in adult football and arranged a try-out in late 2019.
“It was chaos,” recalled the player. “Day one I joined the youth team, the second day I trained with the first team, which was a total surprise.
“Midweek I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, 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 against the Hatters.
Scott went on to make eighty-three league appearances for the club while still a teenager, often being deployed as a wide defender – and sometimes further forward as a number 10 – such was his adaptability and flexibility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
With his skill to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and England playmaker Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the EFL Championship’s best young player award, was selected in the division’s team of the year and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I believe he’ll play for England and I think he will progress to the top of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at the club, stated last year.
Less than three months later, he joined Bournemouth for a reported transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his big move
The midfielder experienced a challenging debut campaign with the Cherries, waiting until October to earn his top-flight debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then finding himself inconsistent of the team.
His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for almost four months.
“There was a decent run at the end of last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” said he.
“It was yet another setback and the year was shaping up as quite a terrible start 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 for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six matches as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, developing a strong understanding in midfield with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the first team with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun this season equally as strongly for his club, featuring in every game to guide them to fifth in the standings.
“Representing the England senior team would be among the most special moments of my life,” Scott stated earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I must continue developing as a player, keep enjoying the game, getting better every day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”
