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, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
That prediction turned out to be something of an underestimation.
Today aged 22 and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the playmaker has earned his maiden call-up to the full England squad.
His rise from non-league prodigy to potential England player is a proper blast from the past, a story rarely told in the modern game.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of becoming a professional football player, let alone playing in the top division and playing for England too,” the player said previously.
“It’s been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for me and my loved ones.”
But in what way did Alex Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself here?
Learning in the lower tiers
His path in football has not been a typical one.
He was part of four and a half years in Southampton’s youth system from the age of eight, skipping school each 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, however, they released him. The Cherries gave him an opportunity and he remained with them for a time, but, as he later admitted, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he opted to stay on Guernsey and play for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over weekly was starting to feel a bit too much,” he recalled.
“All I desired to chill at home with my mates at weekends because I missed almost several years of doing that. Getting that little bit of childhood back was a thing I really needed.
“Building a bit of self-belief by returning and playing local football was massive for me. That proved to be probably the most crucial things that got me to this point.”
When he was just 16, Scott made history as the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a 57th-minute substitute in their league match at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the team because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance commented back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the way he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Second-tier club Bristol City – owned by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring his early progress after an impressive start in men’s football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.
“It was hectic,” said the player. “The first day I joined the under-18s, the next day I trained with the first team, which was a complete surprise.
“On the Wednesday I featured for his local side in London, travelled back and by Friday, I played for the youth team and scored a three goals. From that point a done deal for me to sign a deal.”
Within a year and a half, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut against Luton.
He made 83 league appearances for the club while still a teenager, often being deployed as a wing-back – and sometimes further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his versatility and flexibility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his skill to carry the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team attacking midfielder Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he won the second tier’s best young player award, was selected in the league’s team of the year and was voted Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I believe he will represent England and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the sport,” his former manager, Scott’s manager at Ashton Gate, stated previously.
Less than 90 days after, he joined Bournemouth for a reported transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his major transfer
The midfielder experienced a challenging first season with the club, waiting 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 team.
His second campaign was equally disrupted, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for nearly four months.
“There was a decent run at the end of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” said he.
“It was yet another setback and it was turning out to be a pretty bad year for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the U21 Euros – and managed to get himself fit in time.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six games as they claimed victory in the tournament in the host nation, developing a strong partnership in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has gone on to impress for the first team with the national coach.
And he has begun this season equally as strongly for his club, playing in all matches to guide them to the top five in the table.
“Representing the England senior team would be one of the proudest occasions of my career,” the player stated earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I must keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for football, getting better day on day, and hopefully I impress the national coach and get my chance.”
