Back when the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut against Phoenix Sports before just 55 spectators in 2019, his manager at the time predicted, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
That prediction turned out to be something of an understatement.
Today aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the midfielder has just received his first call-up to the full Three Lions team.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to possible England player is a true blast from the past, a story rarely told in the modern game.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was no chance of becoming a pro footballer, never mind featuring in the Premier League and playing for the national team too,” Scott said in a recent interview.
“It’s been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have changed completely for me and my loved ones.”
But in what way did Alex Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up at this level?
Learning in non-league
His football journey has been far from a conventional one.
He spent over four years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, leaving school early each Friday to fly from his island home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could attend training and play for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to he turned 13, though, 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, by the player’s own admission, his heart was not in it.
Instead, he chose to remain on the island and play for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he explained.
“I just wanted to chill at my home with my mates at the weekend because I missed nearly several years of that experience. Getting that slice of youth back was something I really required.
“Building a bit of self-belief by coming back and taking part in local football was massive for me. That proved to be perhaps the most crucial factors that led 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 was introduced as a second-half replacement in their league match at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the team because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance commented at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the way he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Championship side Bristol City – chaired by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking Scott’s development after an impressive beginning in adult football and gave him a trial in December 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled the player. “The first day I trained with the youth team, the next day I trained with the senior squad, which was a total shock.
“Midweek I played for his local side in the capital, returned home and on the Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a hat-trick. It was almost a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
In just 18 months, even well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut versus the Hatters.
Scott went on to make 83 league appearances for the club while still a teenager, frequently being deployed as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – such was his adaptability and versatility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was their best player.
Thanks to his ability 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 nod to City and England playmaker Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he won the second tier’s best young player award, was chosen in the division’s best XI and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I believe he will represent England and I think he will progress to the top of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s manager at Ashton Gate, stated last year.
Less than three months later, he signed for Bournemouth for a reported fee of £25m.
Getting his major transfer
The midfielder endured a challenging debut campaign with the Cherries, waiting until the autumn to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, 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.
“I had a decent run at the end of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” said he.
“That felt like yet another obstacle and it was shaping up as quite a terrible year for the first half.”
But he was then called up by England for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in regain fitness for the tournament.
He started five of the England U21s’ six games as they went on to win the competition in the host nation, developing a formidable partnership in the middle with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the first team with the national coach.
And he has started this season equally as impressively for Bournemouth, featuring in all matches 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 career,” the player said earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying the game, improving every day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
