Back when the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager at the time predicted, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
That statement turned out to be something of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has earned his first summons to the senior England team.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to potential international star is a proper throwback, a story rarely told in the modern era.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of becoming a professional football player, let alone featuring in the top division and representing the national team as well,” Scott said previously.
“It’s been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have changed drastically for me and my family.”
But how did Alex Scott, known fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself here?
Developing in non-league
His football journey has been far from a typical one.
He spent four and a half years in the Saints’ 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 train and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth gave Scott an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart was not in it.
Instead, he opted to stay on the island and turn out for his local team.
“My form had dipped and traveling weekly was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.
“All I desired to chill at my home with my mates at the weekend because I had missed nearly several years of doing that. To have that little bit of youth back was something I definitely required.
“To gain a bit of self-belief by coming back and taking part in island football was massive for me. That proved to be perhaps one of the most important things that led me to this point.”
When he was just 16, Scott became the youngest player in the club’s records when he was introduced as a second-half replacement in their Isthmian League match at the opposition.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the side because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss the coach stated back then.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the professional game
Championship side the Robins – chaired by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking his development after an promising start in adult football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.
“It was hectic,” recalled the player. “Day one I trained with the youth team, the next day I was with the first team, which was a complete shock.
“Midweek I featured for his local side in London, returned home and by Friday, I played for the youth team and netted a three goals. It was almost a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
In just 18 months, even well before his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut against Luton.
He made eighty-three league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, frequently being used as a wide defender – and sometimes further forward as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his versatility and flexibility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
With his ability to carry 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 national team playmaker Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the EFL Championship’s young player of the season award, was selected in the division’s team of the year and was voted the club’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I believe he’ll play for his country and I’m sure he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated previously.
Less than three months later, he signed for the Cherries for a understood transfer fee of £25m.
Getting his big move
The midfielder endured a difficult debut campaign with the club, waiting until October to make his top-flight debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then being in and out of the starting XI.
His following season was just as disrupted, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for nearly several months.
“I had quite a good run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained he.
“It was yet another setback and the year 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 get himself fit in time.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six matches as they claimed victory in the competition in the host nation, forming a formidable understanding in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who himself has gone on to impress for the senior side with the national coach.
And he has begun this season just as impressively for his club, featuring in all matches to guide them to the top five in the table.
“Representing the national team would be one of the proudest occasions of my life,” the player stated earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, maintain my love for the game, improving day on day, and with luck I impress the England manager and get my chance.”
