When the young midfielder made his local team debut against Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager at the time predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
That prediction turned out to be a bit of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has just received his maiden summons to the senior England squad.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to possible England player is a true throwback, a journey rarely told in the modern game.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of making it as a pro footballer, let alone featuring in the top division and playing for England too,” the player stated previously.
“It’s been a crazy five or six years of my life, and circumstances have transformed drastically for myself and my family.”
But how did Alex Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up here?
Learning in the lower tiers
Scott’s path in football has not been a conventional one.
He was part of four and a half years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, leaving school early every Friday to travel by air from his island home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could attend training and play for the club’s academy sides.
Before he turned 13, however, they released him. The Cherries gave Scott an option and he remained with them for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he opted to remain on Guernsey and play for his local team.
“My form had dipped and flying over weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he explained.
“All I desired to relax at my home with my mates at weekends because I missed nearly several years of that experience. To have that slice of youth back was a thing I definitely required.
“Building some confidence by returning and playing island football was huge for me. It was probably one of the most important things that led me to this point.”
At the age of 16, the teenager made history as the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a second-half substitute in their Isthmian League fixture at the opposition.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the side because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance commented back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Championship side the Robins – chaired by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring Scott’s early progress after an impressive beginning in adult football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” recalled the player. “The first day I trained with the youth team, the next day I trained with the first team, which was a complete shock.
“Midweek I played for his local side in the capital, travelled back and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and scored a three goals. It was almost a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
Within 18 months, even well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut against Luton.
He made eighty-three league outings for the club while in his teens, often being used as a wide defender – and sometimes in attack as a number 10 – demonstrating his versatility and versatility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
With his skill to carry the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to City and national team attacking midfielder Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he won the second tier’s young player of the season award, was selected in the division’s best XI and was named the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I think he’ll play for his country and I think he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s manager at the club, stated last year.
Less than 90 days after, he joined the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his big move
Scott experienced a difficult first season with the club, waiting until the autumn to earn his top-flight debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.
His following season was equally affected, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for nearly several months.
“There was a decent run at the close of last season, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.
“It was yet another setback and it was shaping up as a pretty bad start for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to regain fitness in time.
He started five of the England U21s’ six matches as they claimed victory in the competition in Slovakia, forming a strong partnership in the middle with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the senior side under the national coach.
And he has begun this season just as strongly for his club, playing in all matches to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“Representing the national team would be among the most special moments of my life,” Scott stated recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I must continue developing as a player, keep enjoying football, getting better every day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”
