Back when the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager back then predicted, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
That statement turned out to be a bit of an underestimation.
Today 22 years old and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has earned his maiden call-up to the senior England team.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to potential England player is a true throwback, a story rarely told in the modern game.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of becoming a professional football player, never mind featuring in the top division and representing England too,” the player stated previously.
“It has been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have transformed completely for myself and my family.”
But how did Alex Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself at this level?
Learning in non-league
Scott’s path in football has not been a typical one.
He was part of four and a half years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, leaving school early each Friday to fly from his home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could train and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Before his 13th birthday, though, they released him. The Cherries were willing to offer Scott an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, as he later admitted, his mind was not in it.
Instead, he opted to stay on Guernsey and play for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and traveling weekly was starting to feel overwhelming,” he explained.
“All I desired to relax at home with my mates at the weekend because I had missed almost four and a half years of doing that. Getting that slice of childhood back was something I definitely needed.
“To gain some self-belief by returning and taking part in island football was massive for me. That proved to be probably one of the most important factors that led me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, the teenager became the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a 57th-minute replacement in their Isthmian League fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could include him in the team because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance commented at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the professional game
Championship side Bristol City – owned by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking his development after an impressive beginning in adult football and gave him a trial in December 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” said Scott. “Day one I joined the youth team, the next day I was with the senior squad, which was a complete shock.
“On the Wednesday 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 put pen to paper on a contract.”
In just a year and a half, still well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut against Luton.
He went on to make eighty-three league outings for the Robins while still a teenager, frequently being used as a wide defender – and sometimes in attack as a number 10 – demonstrating his adaptability and flexibility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was their best player.
Thanks to his skill to drive the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to City and national team playmaker Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the second tier’s young player of the season award, was chosen in the division’s team of the year and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I believe he will represent his country and I’m sure he’ll go on to the top of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s manager at Ashton Gate, stated last year.
Within three months later, he signed for Bournemouth for a reported transfer fee of £25m.
Securing his big move
The midfielder endured a challenging debut campaign with the Cherries, waiting until October to make his Premier League debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then finding himself in and out of the starting XI.
His following season was equally affected, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for almost four months.
“I had quite a good run at the close of last season, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” said he.
“It was yet another setback and the year was shaping up as a pretty bad year for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in regain fitness for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they claimed victory in the tournament in Slovakia, developing a strong understanding in midfield with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the first team under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun this season just as impressively for his club, featuring in all matches to help them to the top five in the table.
“To play for the national team would be one of the proudest occasions of my life,” Scott stated earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I must continue developing as a footballer, maintain my love for football, getting better every day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”
