When the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his manager at the time predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
This statement proved to be something of an understatement.
Now 22 years old and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the playmaker has just received his maiden call-up to the full Three Lions team.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to potential international star is a proper throwback, a story rarely told in the modern game.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of becoming a pro footballer, let alone playing in the Premier League and representing the national team too,” Scott said previously.
“It has been a crazy five or six years of my life, and things have changed drastically for me and my family.”
But in what way did Alex Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up at this level?
Developing in non-league
Scott’s football journey has been far from a conventional one.
He spent over four years in Southampton’s academy setup starting at eight, skipping school each Friday to fly from his island home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could train and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to his 13th birthday, though, they released him. Bournemouth gave Scott 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.
Rather, he chose to remain on the island and turn out for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling every week was starting to feel a bit too much,” he explained.
“All I desired to relax at home with my mates at the weekend because I had missed almost several years of that experience. To have that slice of youth back was something I really needed.
“Building a bit of confidence by coming back and playing local football was huge for me. It was probably the most crucial factors that got me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, the teenager made history as the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a second-half substitute in their league match at Phoenix Sports.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the team because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance commented back then.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the manner he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Championship side Bristol City – chaired by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking his development after an promising beginning in men’s football and arranged a try-out in late 2019.
“It was chaos,” said the player. “Day one I joined the youth team, the next day I was with the first team, which was a total shock.
“On the Wednesday I featured for his local side in London, travelled back and by Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a three goals. It was almost a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
In just 18 months, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut versus the Hatters.
He made 83 league outings for the Robins while in his teens, often being deployed as a wide defender – and sometimes in attack as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his adaptability and flexibility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was their best player.
With his ability to drive the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team playmaker Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the EFL Championship’s young player of the season award, was chosen in the league’s team of the year and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I believe he will represent England and I think he’ll go on to the top of the sport,” his former manager, the player’s boss at Ashton Gate, remarked last year.
Less than three months later, he joined the Cherries for a understood fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his major transfer
The midfielder experienced a difficult debut campaign with the Cherries, having to wait until October to make his top-flight debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then finding himself in and out of the team.
His second campaign was equally disrupted, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for almost four months.
“I had a decent run at the end of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained he.
“It was yet another obstacle and it was turning out to be a pretty bad start for the first half.”
But he was then called up by England for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in get himself fit in time.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they went on to win the competition in the host nation, forming a formidable understanding in the middle with his teammate, who himself has gone on to impress for the first team with the national coach.
And he has begun the current campaign just as strongly for Bournemouth, featuring in every game to guide them to fifth in the standings.
“Representing the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my career,” the player stated recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I must continue developing as a player, keep enjoying football, improving every day, and hopefully I impress the England manager and get my chance.”
