Back when the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager at the time predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
That statement proved to be a bit of an underestimation.
Now 22 years old and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his maiden summons to the full Three Lions team.
His rise from non-league prodigy to potential international star is a true blast from the past, a journey rarely told in the modern era.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a professional football player, never mind playing in the Premier League and representing the national team too,” Scott stated in a recent interview.
“It’s been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have changed completely for me and my family.”
So in what way did Alex Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up at this level?
Developing in non-league
His football journey has been far from a conventional one.
He spent four and a half years in Southampton’s youth system from the age of eight, skipping school each Friday to fly from his island home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could attend training and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before his 13th birthday, though, they decided to let him go. The Cherries 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 mind was not in it.
Instead, he opted to stay on the island and play for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over weekly was becoming a bit too much,” he explained.
“All I desired to relax at home with my friends at the weekend because I missed almost several years of that experience. Getting that slice of childhood again was something I really needed.
“Building some self-belief by coming back and playing local football was huge for me. It was perhaps one of the most important factors that got me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, the teenager made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he was introduced as a 57th-minute substitute 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 he’s that good,” manager the coach stated at the time.
“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
Second-tier club Bristol City – owned by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring his development after an impressive beginning in adult football and gave him a trial in December 2019.
“It was chaos,” said Scott. “The first day I trained with the youth team, the second day I was with the first team, which was a complete shock.
“On the Wednesday I featured for Guernsey FC in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a hat-trick. From that point a certainty for me to sign a contract.”
In just a year and a half, still well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut versus Luton.
Scott went on to make 83 league appearances for the Robins while still a teenager, often being used as a wide defender – and sometimes further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his versatility and flexibility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was their best player.
With his ability to carry the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he won the EFL Championship’s best young player award, was chosen in the league’s best XI and was named the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I believe he will represent England and I think he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the game,” his former manager, the player’s manager at the club, remarked last year.
Less than 90 days after, he joined the Cherries for a understood fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his big move
The midfielder experienced a challenging first season with the club, waiting until the autumn to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then being in and out of the team.
His following season was equally disrupted, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for almost four months.
“There was a decent run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained Scott.
“It was yet another obstacle and it was turning out to be quite a terrible year for the first half.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to get himself fit for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they claimed victory in the tournament in Slovakia, developing a strong understanding in the middle with his teammate, who in turn has gone on to impress for the first team with the national coach.
And he has begun this season just as strongly for Bournemouth, playing in every game to help them to the top five in the standings.
“To play for the England senior team would be one of the proudest occasions of my career,” Scott said earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, maintain my love for the game, getting better day on day, and with luck I impress the England manager and get my chance.”
