When the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
That statement turned out to be a bit of an understatement.
Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his first summons to the full Three Lions squad.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to potential England player is a true throwback, a story rarely told in the modern game.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of making it as a professional football player, let alone featuring in the top division and representing England as well,” the player stated in a recent interview.
“It has been a crazy five or six years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for myself and my family.”
So in what way did Alex Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself here?
Learning in non-league
His path in football has been far from a typical one.
He spent over four years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, leaving school early every Friday to travel by air from his island home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could attend training and play for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to he turned 13, however, they released him. The Cherries gave Scott an option and he remained with them for a time, but, as he later admitted, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he chose to stay on the island and play for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling every week was becoming a bit too much,” he explained.
“All I desired to relax at home with my friends at the weekend because I had missed almost four and a half years of doing that. Getting that little bit of childhood back was something I really required.
“To gain some self-belief by returning and taking part in local football was massive for me. That proved to be perhaps the most crucial factors that led me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, Scott became the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he was introduced as a second-half substitute in their Isthmian League fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the team because his talent is obvious,” manager the coach stated back then.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the manner he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the professional game
Championship side Bristol City – owned by Guernsey resident their owner – had been monitoring Scott’s development after an promising beginning in adult football and gave him a try-out in late 2019.
“It was hectic,” said Scott. “The first day I trained with the under-18s, the second day I trained with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.
“Midweek I featured for his local side in London, returned home and on the Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a hat-trick. From that point a done deal for me to sign a deal.”
Within 18 months, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut against the Hatters.
Scott went on to make eighty-three league outings for the club while in his teens, often being deployed as a wing-back – and occasionally in attack as a number 10 – demonstrating his versatility and versatility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was their best player.
Thanks to his ability to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and England attacking midfielder Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he won the EFL Championship’s young player of the season honour, was chosen in the league’s best XI and was voted the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I believe he’ll play for England and I think he will progress to the pinnacle of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated previously.
Within 90 days after, he signed for Bournemouth for a understood transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his major transfer
Scott experienced a challenging debut campaign with the club, waiting until the autumn to make his Premier League debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then being in and out of the team.
His following season was equally affected, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for almost several months.
“I had a decent run at the end of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” said Scott.
“That felt like almost another setback and it was turning out to be quite a terrible year for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to regain fitness in time.
He started five of the England U21s’ six games as they went on to win the competition in Slovakia, forming a strong partnership in the middle with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the first team with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started the current campaign just as strongly for his club, featuring in every game to help them to fifth in the table.
“Representing the England senior team would be one of the proudest occasions of my life,” the player stated earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, improving day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”
