Back when the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then assured, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
That statement proved to be something of an underestimation.
Today aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his first summons to the senior England squad.
His rise from non-league prodigy to potential international star is a proper throwback, a journey seldom seen in the modern era.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was no chance of making it as a professional football player, let alone playing in the Premier League and playing for the national team as well,” Scott said previously.
“It has been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have changed completely for me and my loved ones.”
So in what way did Alex Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself here?
Developing in the lower tiers
His path in football has not been a typical one.
He spent four and a half years in Southampton’s youth system from the age of eight, skipping school every Friday to travel by air from his home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could attend training and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to he turned 13, though, they released him. The Cherries gave him an option and he remained with them for a while, but, as he later admitted, his heart was not in it.
Instead, he opted to remain on Guernsey and turn out for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and traveling weekly was starting to feel a bit too much,” he recalled.
“All I desired to chill at home with my mates at the weekend because I missed nearly four and a half years of that experience. Getting that little bit of youth back was a thing I definitely needed.
“To gain some confidence by returning and playing local football was massive for me. That proved to be probably one of the most important factors that got me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, Scott made history as the youngest player in the club’s records when he was introduced as a second-half replacement in their league match at Phoenix Sports.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the team because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss the coach commented at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the way he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Championship side the Robins – chaired by islander their owner – had been tracking Scott’s development after an impressive beginning in men’s football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled Scott. “Day one I trained with the youth team, the second day I was with the first team, which was a complete surprise.
“Midweek I played for his local side in the capital, travelled back and on the Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a hat-trick. From that point a certainty for me to sign a contract.”
Within 18 months, even well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut against the Hatters.
He went on to make eighty-three league outings for the Robins while still a teenager, frequently being used as a wing-back – and sometimes further forward as a number 10 – such was his versatility and flexibility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was their best player.
Thanks to his skill to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and England playmaker Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he won the second tier’s young player of the season honour, was chosen in the division’s best XI and was voted the club’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I think he will represent England and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the sport,” his former manager, the player’s manager at the club, stated last year.
Within three months after, he signed for the Cherries for a reported fee of £25m.
Securing his major transfer
The midfielder endured a difficult debut campaign with the Cherries, waiting until October to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.
His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for almost several months.
“There was quite a good run at the end of last season, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said he.
“That felt like almost another obstacle and it was shaping up as quite a terrible start for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by England for the U21 Euros – and managed to regain fitness in time.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six games as they went on to win the tournament in the host nation, developing a formidable 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 started this season just as strongly for his club, featuring in all matches to help them to fifth in the standings.
“Representing the England senior team would be among the most special occasions of my career,” Scott said earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, keep enjoying the game, getting better day on day, and hopefully I impress the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
