When the young midfielder made his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
This statement turned out to be a bit of an underestimation.
Today aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the midfielder has just received his maiden summons to the senior England team.
His rise from non-league prodigy to potential international star is a proper blast from the past, a story seldom told in the modern game.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a pro footballer, let alone featuring in the Premier League and playing for the national team as well,” Scott said in a recent interview.
“It’s been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for me and my loved ones.”
But in what way did Alex Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself here?
Learning in non-league
Scott’s path in football has been far from a conventional one.
He spent over four years in the Saints’ youth system starting at eight, leaving school early every Friday to fly from his island home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could train and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before he turned 13, though, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth gave Scott an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, as he later admitted, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he chose to stay on the island and play for his local team.
“My form had dipped and flying over weekly was becoming a bit too much,” he recalled.
“All I desired to relax at my home with my friends at the weekend because I missed nearly four and a half years of doing that. To have that little bit of childhood again was a thing I really needed.
“To gain some confidence by coming back and taking part in island football was massive for me. It was probably one of the most important things that got me to this point.”
When he was just 16, the teenager made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a second-half replacement in their league fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the side because his talent is obvious,” manager the coach commented at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the way he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Championship side Bristol City – owned by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring Scott’s early progress after an promising start in men’s football and arranged a trial in December 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled Scott. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the second day I trained with the senior squad, which was a total surprise.
“On the Wednesday I featured for his local side in London, returned home and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to sign a contract.”
Within 18 months, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut versus the Hatters.
Scott made 83 league appearances for the club while still a teenager, frequently being used as a wide defender – and sometimes in attack as a attacking midfielder – such was his versatility and flexibility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
With 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 City and England playmaker Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he won the EFL Championship’s young player of the season honour, was chosen in the division’s best XI and was named 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 top of the sport,” his former manager, Scott’s manager at the club, stated last year.
Within 90 days later, he joined Bournemouth for a reported fee of £25m.
Securing his big move
Scott endured a challenging first season with the Cherries, waiting until October to make his top-flight debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then finding himself in and out of the starting XI.
His following season was just as affected, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for nearly several months.
“I had a decent run at the end of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained he.
“That felt like yet another setback and it was shaping up as quite a terrible year for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the U21 Euros – and managed to get himself fit for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six matches as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, developing a strong understanding in midfield with his teammate, who in turn has gone on to impress for the first team with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started the current campaign equally as impressively for his club, featuring in every game to guide them to the top five in the table.
“To play for the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my career,” Scott said earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a player, keep enjoying football, improving every day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the national coach and get my chance.”
