When the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his manager at the time assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
That prediction turned out 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 summons to the senior Three Lions squad.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to potential England player is a true blast from the past, a journey rarely 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, let alone playing in the Premier League and playing for England as well,” Scott stated previously.
“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and things have changed drastically for me and my loved ones.”
So in what way did Alex Scott, known fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself here?
Developing in the lower tiers
His path in football has not been a typical one.
He was part of over four years in the Saints’ youth system from the age of eight, leaving school early each Friday to travel by air from his home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could train and play for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to his 13th birthday, though, they released him. Bournemouth gave him an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind was not in it.
Instead, he chose to stay on the island and play for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.
“All I desired to relax at home with my mates at the weekend because I had missed nearly several years of doing that. To have that slice of childhood back was a thing I definitely needed.
“To gain some confidence by coming back and playing local football was huge for me. That proved to be perhaps one of the most important things that led me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, the teenager made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a 57th-minute substitute in their Isthmian League fixture at the opposition.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could include him in the side because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance commented at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the manner he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Championship side Bristol City – chaired by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring his early progress after an promising beginning in men’s football and gave him a trial in late 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled the player. “The first day I joined the under-18s, the second day I was with the first team, which was a total shock.
“Midweek I played for his local side in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a hat-trick. From that point a done deal for me to sign a contract.”
In just a year and a half, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut versus the Hatters.
Scott made eighty-three league appearances for the club while in his teens, often being used as a wing-back – and sometimes in attack as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his adaptability and flexibility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
With his skill to drive the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and national team attacking midfielder Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the second tier’s young player of the season honour, was selected in the division’s team of the year and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I believe he’ll play for England and I think he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at the club, remarked last year.
Less than three months after, he joined the Cherries for a understood transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his major transfer
Scott endured a challenging debut campaign with the club, having to wait until the autumn to make his Premier League debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then finding himself in and out of the team.
His second campaign was just as disrupted, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for nearly four months.
“I had quite a good run at the close of last season, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained he.
“That felt like yet another setback and the year was turning out to be a pretty bad start for the first half.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to get himself fit in time.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they claimed victory in the tournament in the host nation, developing a strong understanding in midfield with his teammate, who himself has gone on to impress for the senior side under the national coach.
And he has started this season just as impressively for Bournemouth, featuring in all matches to guide them to fifth in the table.
“To play for the England senior team would be among the most special moments of my career,” Scott said recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to keep progressing as a player, keep enjoying football, getting better day on day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
