Back when the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 fans in 2019, his coach at the time predicted, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
This prediction proved to be a bit of an understatement.
Now 22 years old and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the midfielder has earned his first summons to the senior Three Lions squad.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to potential international star is a true throwback, a journey seldom told in the modern game.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of making it as a professional football player, never mind playing in the top division and playing for England too,” Scott said in a recent interview.
“It’s been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have transformed completely for me and my loved ones.”
So how did Alex Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up at this level?
Developing in the lower tiers
His path in football has been far from a typical one.
He was part of over four years in the Saints’ academy setup from the age of eight, leaving school early every Friday to travel by air from his home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could attend training and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before 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 heart was not in it.
Instead, he chose to stay on Guernsey and turn out for his local team.
“My form had dipped and flying over weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he explained.
“All I desired to relax at home with my mates at weekends because I had missed nearly four and a half years of that experience. To have that little bit of youth again was a thing I really needed.
“To gain some self-belief by returning and playing local football was huge for me. It was perhaps the most crucial things that got me to this point.”
When he was just 16, the teenager became the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a 57th-minute substitute in their Isthmian 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 side because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss the coach commented back then.
“People have witnessed 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 – owned by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring his development after an promising beginning in men’s football and gave him a trial in December 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” said the player. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the next day I trained with the senior squad, which was a total shock.
“Midweek I featured for his local side in the capital, travelled back and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and netted a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
Within a year and a half, still well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut versus Luton.
He went on to make eighty-three league outings for the club while in his teens, frequently being used as a wide defender – and sometimes in attack as a number 10 – demonstrating his adaptability and flexibility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was their best player.
With his skill to drive the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and England playmaker Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he won the EFL Championship’s best young player honour, was selected in the division’s team of the year and was named the club’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 sport,” his former manager, the player’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated last year.
Less than three months later, he signed for Bournemouth for a understood transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his big move
Scott endured a difficult debut campaign with the Cherries, waiting until October to make his Premier League 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 sidelined him for almost several months.
“There was a decent run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained he.
“That felt like almost another obstacle and it was shaping up as quite a terrible start for the first half.”
But he was then called up by England for the U21 Euros – and managed to get himself fit for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six games as they went on to win the tournament in the host nation, forming a formidable partnership in the middle with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the senior side with the national coach.
And he has started this season just as strongly for Bournemouth, playing in every game to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“Representing the England senior team would be among the most special occasions of my career,” the player said earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to keep progressing as a player, keep enjoying football, improving every day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
