Back when the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut against Phoenix Sports before just 55 spectators in 2019, his coach at the time assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
This statement turned out to be a bit of an underestimation.
Today aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has earned his maiden call-up to the full England squad.
His rise from non-league prodigy to potential England player is a proper throwback, a story seldom told in the modern game.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of making it as a pro footballer, never mind playing in the Premier League and representing the national team too,” the player said previously.
“It has been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and things have changed completely for myself and my loved ones.”
But in what way did Alex Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up here?
Learning in non-league
His football journey has not been a conventional one.
He spent over four years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, leaving school early every Friday to fly from his home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could train and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to he turned 13, though, they released him. Bournemouth were willing to offer Scott an option and he remained with them for a time, but, as he later admitted, his heart was not in it.
Instead, he chose to remain on the island and play for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over every week was becoming a bit too much,” he explained.
“I just wanted to relax at my home with my mates at weekends because I had missed nearly four and a half years of that experience. Getting that slice of youth again was something I definitely needed.
“Building a bit of self-belief by returning and taking part in local football was huge for me. It was probably one of the most important 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 came on as a second-half substitute in their league match at the opposition.
“I had sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the team because he’s that good,” manager Tony Vance stated at the time.
“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 professional game
Second-tier club the Robins – owned by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking Scott’s development after an impressive start in adult football and gave him a trial in late 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” recalled Scott. “The first day I trained with the youth team, the second day I was with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.
“Midweek I featured for Guernsey FC in London, travelled back and on the Friday, I took the field for the youth team and scored a three goals. It was almost a done deal for me to sign a contract.”
In just 18 months, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut versus Luton.
He made 83 league outings for the club while in his teens, frequently being used as a wing-back – and occasionally in attack as a number 10 – demonstrating his versatility and versatility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
With his ability to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and national team attacking midfielder Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the EFL Championship’s best young player honour, was chosen in the division’s best XI and was voted the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I think he’ll play for his country and I’m sure he’ll go on to the top of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at the club, remarked previously.
Within three months later, he signed for Bournemouth for a understood transfer fee of £25m.
Getting his big move
The midfielder endured a challenging debut campaign with the club, having to wait until October to earn his top-flight debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then finding himself inconsistent of the starting XI.
His following season was just as affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for nearly four months.
“There was quite a good run at the end of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said he.
“It was almost another setback and it was turning out to be a pretty bad year for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by England for the U21 Euros – and managed to 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, forming a strong understanding in the middle with his teammate, who in turn has gone on to impress for the senior side with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started the current campaign just as strongly for Bournemouth, playing in every game to help them to the top five in the table.
“Representing the national team would be one of the proudest moments of my career,” Scott stated recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to continue developing as a player, keep enjoying football, improving every day, and hopefully I impress the England manager and get my chance.”
