Back when the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
That statement turned out to be something of an understatement.
Today 22 years old and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the playmaker has just received his first summons to the full England squad.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to potential England player is a true blast from the past, a story rarely told in the modern game.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of making it as a professional football player, let alone featuring in the top division and playing for England too,” Scott stated previously.
“It has been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have changed drastically for me and my family.”
But in what way did Alex Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up here?
Learning in non-league
Scott’s path in football has been far from a typical one.
He spent four and a half years in the Saints’ youth system from the age of eight, skipping school every Friday to travel by air from his home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could attend training and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to he turned 13, though, they released him. The Cherries gave Scott an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, as he later admitted, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he chose to stay on Guernsey and turn out for his local team.
“My form had dipped and flying over weekly was becoming a bit too much,” he explained.
“I just wanted to chill at my home with my mates at the weekend because I had missed nearly four and a half years of that experience. To have that slice of childhood back was something I really needed.
“Building some self-belief by coming back and playing island football was huge for me. That proved to be perhaps one of the most important things that got me to this point.”
When he was just 16, the teenager made history as the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a 57th-minute replacement in their Isthmian League fixture at the opposition.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the side because his talent is obvious,” manager Tony Vance stated back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the way he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Championship side Bristol City – chaired by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking his early progress after an impressive beginning in men’s football and gave him a try-out in late 2019.
“It was chaos,” 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 featured for his local side in London, travelled back and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and netted a hat-trick. It was almost a done deal for me to sign a deal.”
In just 18 months, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut versus the Hatters.
He went on to make 83 league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, frequently being used as a wide defender – and sometimes in attack as a number 10 – demonstrating his versatility and versatility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was their best player.
With his skill to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to City and England attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he claimed the EFL Championship’s best young player honour, was selected in the league’s team of the year and was voted the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I think he will represent his country and I think he will progress to the top of the sport,” his former manager, the player’s manager at the club, remarked last year.
Less than three months later, he joined Bournemouth for a reported fee of £25m.
Securing his big move
Scott endured a difficult debut campaign with the club, waiting until the autumn to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then finding himself in and out of the starting XI.
His second campaign was equally disrupted, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for nearly several months.
“I had a decent run at the end of last season, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said he.
“It was almost another obstacle and the year was shaping up as a pretty bad year for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by England for the U21 Euros – and managed to regain fitness for the tournament.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six games as they claimed victory in the tournament in Slovakia, developing a formidable partnership in midfield with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun the current campaign just as impressively for Bournemouth, featuring in every game to help them to fifth in the table.
“To play for the national team would be one of the proudest moments of my career,” the player stated earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for the game, getting better every day, and with luck I impress the England manager and get my chance.”
