Back when the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then assured, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
This prediction proved to be a bit of an understatement.
Today aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has earned his maiden call-up to the senior England team.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to possible international star is a true throwback, a journey rarely seen in the modern game.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of becoming a professional football player, let alone playing in the Premier League and playing for the national team too,” Scott stated in a recent interview.
“It has been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have transformed drastically for myself and my loved ones.”
So in what way did Alex Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself at this level?
Developing in non-league
Scott’s football journey has not been a conventional one.
He spent 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 train 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 remained with them for a while, but, as he later admitted, his heart was not in it.
Instead, he opted to remain on Guernsey and play for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.
“All I desired to chill at my home with my mates at the weekend because I missed almost several years of doing that. Getting that slice of childhood back was something I really needed.
“To gain some confidence by returning and taking part in island football was huge for me. It was probably 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 was introduced as a second-half replacement in their league match at the opposition.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the side because his talent is obvious,” manager the coach commented back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Second-tier club Bristol City – chaired by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking his development after an impressive start in adult football and gave him a try-out in late 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” recalled Scott. “The first day I trained with the youth team, the next day I trained with the first team, which was a total surprise.
“Midweek I featured for Guernsey FC in London, returned home and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a three goals. It was almost 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 earning his first-team debut versus the Hatters.
Scott made eighty-three league outings for the Robins while still a teenager, frequently being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – demonstrating his versatility and flexibility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
With 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 City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he won the second tier’s best young player award, was selected in the division’s team of the year and was voted the club’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I believe he’ll play for England and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the game,” his former manager, the player’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated last year.
Within three months later, he joined Bournemouth for a understood fee of £25m.
Getting his big move
Scott endured a difficult first season with the club, waiting until the autumn to make his top-flight debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.
His second campaign was equally disrupted, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for nearly four months.
“I had 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 obstacle and the year was turning out to be quite a terrible start for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by England for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in regain fitness in time.
He started five of the England U21s’ six games as they claimed victory in the tournament in the host nation, developing a formidable partnership in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has excelled for the first team with the national coach.
And he has begun this season just as strongly for his club, playing in every game to help them to fifth in the table.
“To play for the national team would be one of the proudest moments of my career,” Scott said earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, getting better day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”
