Back when the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before just 55 spectators in 2019, his manager at the time assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
This prediction turned out to be a bit of an underestimation.
Now 22 years old and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the playmaker has earned his maiden call-up to the senior Three Lions team.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to possible England player is a true throwback, a journey seldom seen in the modern era.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a professional football player, never mind featuring in the top division and playing for England too,” Scott said in a recent interview.
“It has been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have transformed completely for myself and my loved ones.”
But how did Alex Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself at this level?
Developing in non-league
Scott’s 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, skipping school each Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could attend training and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before he turned 13, though, they decided to let him go. The Cherries were willing to offer him an option and he remained with them for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he chose to remain on Guernsey and turn out for his local team.
“My form had dipped and flying over every week was becoming a bit too much,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to relax at home with my friends at weekends because I had missed nearly four and a half years of doing that. Getting that slice of youth again was a thing I really needed.
“Building a bit of self-belief by returning and taking part in local football was massive for me. That proved to be perhaps one of the most important things that led me to this point.”
At the age of 16, Scott became the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a second-half replacement in their league fixture at the opposition.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the team because his talent is obvious,” manager Tony Vance commented at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the professional game
Second-tier club Bristol City – chaired by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking Scott’s early progress after an impressive beginning in men’s football and arranged a trial in December 2019.
“It was hectic,” said Scott. “The first day I trained with the under-18s, the second day I was with the senior squad, which was a complete shock.
“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, travelled back and by Friday, I played for the youth team and netted a three goals. From that point a certainty for me to sign a deal.”
Within a year and a half, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut versus the Hatters.
Scott made eighty-three league appearances for the club while in his teens, often being used as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his versatility and versatility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
With his ability to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to City and England playmaker Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he won the EFL Championship’s young player of the season honour, was chosen in the league’s team of the year and was named Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I believe he will represent his country and I think he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at the club, stated previously.
Less than three months after, he joined Bournemouth for a understood transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his big move
The midfielder experienced a challenging debut campaign with the club, having to wait until October to make his top-flight debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then being in and out of the team.
His following season was just as disrupted, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for almost four months.
“I had quite a good run at the close of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained Scott.
“It was almost another setback and it was turning out to be a pretty bad year for the first half.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to regain fitness for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six matches as they went on to win the tournament in the host nation, forming a strong partnership in the middle with his teammate, who himself has gone on to impress for the first team with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun the current campaign just as impressively for his club, featuring in all matches to help them to fifth in the table.
“Representing the England senior team would be among the most special occasions of my career,” Scott stated earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, improving every day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”
