Back when the young midfielder made his local team debut against Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
This statement proved to be something of an underestimation.
Today 22 years old and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his first summons to the senior England squad.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to possible England player is a true throwback, a journey rarely seen in the modern game.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a pro footballer, let alone featuring in the Premier League and representing England too,” the player stated previously.
“It’s been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and things have changed completely for myself and my loved ones.”
But in what way did Alex Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself here?
Developing in the lower tiers
Scott’s football journey has not been a typical one.
He was part of four and a half years in the Saints’ youth system from the age of eight, leaving school early each Friday to fly from his island home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could train and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth gave him an opportunity and he remained with them for a while, but, as he later admitted, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he opted to remain on the island and play for his local team.
“My form had dipped and flying over every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.
“All I desired to relax at my home with my friends at the weekend because I had missed nearly four and a half years of that experience. Getting that little bit of youth back was something I really needed.
“Building some confidence by returning and taking part in local football was massive for me. It was probably one of the most important things that got me to this point.”
At the age of 16, the teenager became the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced 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 get him in the team because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance commented at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the professional game
Second-tier club the Robins – owned by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking his early progress after an impressive start in men’s football and arranged a trial in December 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” said the player. “Day one I joined the youth team, the next day I was with the first team, which was a total surprise.
“Midweek I featured for his local side in London, travelled back and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and scored a hat-trick. From that point a done deal for me to sign a deal.”
Within a year and a half, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut against Luton.
Scott went on to make 83 league appearances for the Robins while still a teenager, frequently being deployed as a wing-back – and sometimes further forward as a number 10 – such was his adaptability and versatility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was their best player.
With his skill to carry the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to City and England attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he won the second tier’s young player of the season award, was chosen in the league’s best XI and was voted Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I think he’ll play for his country and I think he’ll go on to the top of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.
Within 90 days after, he joined the Cherries for a reported fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his major transfer
The midfielder experienced a difficult first season with the club, having to wait until the autumn 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 knee operation which sidelined him for almost four months.
“I had quite a good run at the close of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said he.
“That felt like yet another obstacle and it was turning out to be a pretty bad year for the first half.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in regain fitness for the tournament.
He started five of the England U21s’ six matches as they claimed victory in the tournament in Slovakia, developing a formidable partnership in the middle with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun this season equally as strongly for his club, playing in every game to guide them to fifth in the standings.
“Representing the national team would be among the most special moments of my life,” Scott stated recently.
“It’s down to me, I must keep progressing as a player, keep enjoying the game, getting better every day, and hopefully I impress the national coach and get my chance.”
