When the young midfielder made his local team debut against Phoenix Sports before just 55 spectators in 2019, his manager at the time predicted, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
That statement turned out to be something of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the midfielder has earned his first summons to the senior Three Lions squad.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to possible England player is a true throwback, a journey rarely seen in the modern era.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a pro footballer, let alone featuring in the top division and representing the national team too,” Scott stated previously.
“It’s been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have transformed drastically for myself and my family.”
So in what way did Alex Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself here?
Learning in the lower tiers
His path in football has not been a typical one.
He spent four and a half years in the Saints’ academy setup from the age of eight, skipping school every Friday to fly from his island home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could train and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they released him. Bournemouth were willing to offer him an option and he remained with them for a time, but, as he later admitted, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he chose to stay on Guernsey and turn out for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over weekly was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to chill at home with my mates at the weekend because I had missed almost several years of that experience. To have that little bit of youth again was something I really required.
“To gain some self-belief by returning and taking part in island football was massive for me. That proved to be probably the most crucial things that got me to this point.”
At the age of 16, Scott became the youngest player in Guernsey’s history 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 side because his talent is obvious,” manager the coach commented back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the way he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Second-tier club the Robins – owned by Guernsey resident their owner – had been monitoring Scott’s development after an promising start in men’s football and gave him a trial in December 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled Scott. “Day one I trained with the under-18s, the second day I was with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.
“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in London, returned home and by Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to sign a deal.”
Within a year and a half, still well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut against Luton.
He made eighty-three league outings for the club while in his teens, frequently being deployed as a wing-back – and occasionally in attack as a number 10 – demonstrating his versatility and versatility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
With his ability to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to City and England playmaker Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the second tier’s young player of the season award, was chosen in the league’s team of the year and was named Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I believe he will represent England and I’m sure he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the sport,” his former manager, Scott’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked last year.
Within three months later, he signed for Bournemouth for a understood transfer fee of £25m.
Getting his major transfer
Scott experienced a difficult debut campaign with the club, waiting until the autumn to earn his top-flight debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then being in and out of the team.
His second campaign was just as affected, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for almost four months.
“There was quite a good run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” said he.
“It was yet another obstacle and it was shaping up as a pretty bad year for the first half.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the U21 Euros – and managed to regain fitness for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six games as they went on to win the competition in the host nation, developing a strong partnership in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who himself has excelled for the first team under the national coach.
And he has begun the current campaign just as impressively for Bournemouth, playing in every game to guide them to fifth in the table.
“Representing the national team would be one of the proudest occasions of my career,” the player stated earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for the game, improving day on day, and hopefully I impress the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
