When the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 spectators in 2019, his manager back then assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
That statement turned out to be something of an understatement.
Today aged 22 and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the midfielder has earned his first summons to the senior Three Lions team.
His rise from non-league prodigy to potential international star is a true throwback, a story rarely seen in the modern era.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was no chance of becoming a pro footballer, never mind playing in the top division and representing England too,” the player said previously.
“It has been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have changed completely for myself and my loved ones.”
So in what way did Alex Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up here?
Developing in non-league
His path in football has been far from a conventional one.
He was part of over four years in Southampton’s academy setup starting at eight, leaving school early every Friday to travel by air from his island home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could train and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to he turned 13, though, they decided to let him go. The Cherries were willing to offer him 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 chose to stay on Guernsey and turn out for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he recalled.
“All I desired to relax at home with my friends at the weekend because I had missed nearly several years of doing that. Getting that little bit of youth back was something I definitely required.
“To gain a bit of confidence by returning and playing local football was huge for me. It was perhaps the most crucial factors that led me to this point.”
At the age of 16, the teenager became the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a 57th-minute replacement in their league match at the opposition.
“I had 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 retention of the ball is outstanding, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the professional game
Second-tier club Bristol City – chaired by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking his early progress after an promising beginning in adult football and gave him a trial in December 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” said Scott. “The first day I trained with the under-18s, the next day I was with the first team, which was a total shock.
“On the Wednesday I played for his local side in London, travelled back and on the Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a three goals. It was almost a done deal for me to sign a contract.”
In just a year and a half, even well before his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut against the Hatters.
He went on to make eighty-three league appearances for the club while still a teenager, often being deployed as a wing-back – and sometimes further forward as a number 10 – such was his adaptability and versatility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his ability to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and England attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he won the second tier’s best young player honour, was selected in the division’s team of the year and was voted Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I believe he’ll play for England and I’m sure he’ll go on to the top of the game,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s manager at the club, remarked last year.
Less than three months later, he signed for Bournemouth for a understood transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his big move
The midfielder experienced a difficult first season with the club, having to wait until October to earn his Premier League debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then finding himself in and out of the starting XI.
His second campaign was just as affected, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for almost four months.
“There was quite a good run at the end of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.
“That felt like almost another obstacle and it was shaping up as a pretty bad start for the first half.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the U21 Euros – and managed to regain fitness in time.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they claimed victory in the tournament in the host nation, developing a formidable understanding in the middle with his teammate, who in turn has gone on to impress for the senior side with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun the current campaign just as impressively for his club, featuring in all matches to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“To play for the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my life,” the player stated earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for football, improving day on day, and hopefully I impress the national coach and get my chance.”
