Back when the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager back then predicted, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
This prediction proved to be a bit of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the midfielder has just received his maiden call-up to the senior Three Lions squad.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to potential England player is a true blast from the past, a journey seldom seen in the modern era.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of becoming a pro footballer, let alone featuring in the Premier League and playing for the national team too,” Scott said previously.
“It’s been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have changed completely for myself and my family.”
But in what way did Alex Scott, known affectionately 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 four and a half years in the Saints’ youth system from the age of eight, leaving school early each Friday to fly from his island home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could train and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to he turned 13, though, they decided to let him go. The Cherries were willing to offer Scott an opportunity and he remained with them for a while, but, as he later admitted, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he chose to stay on Guernsey and turn out for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling weekly was becoming a bit too much,” he explained.
“All I desired to relax at home with my friends at the weekend because I missed almost four and a half years of doing that. To have that little bit of childhood back was something I definitely needed.
“Building some self-belief by returning and taking part in local football was huge for me. It was perhaps one of the most important factors that got me to this point.”
At the age of 16, the teenager made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history 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 figuring out how I could include him in the side because he’s that good,” manager Tony Vance stated back then.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the manner he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Championship side the Robins – owned by islander Steve Lansdown – had been tracking his early progress after an impressive beginning in adult football and arranged a trial in December 2019.
“It was chaos,” said the player. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the second day I was with the first team, which was a total shock.
“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I played for the youth team and netted a hat-trick. It was almost a done deal for me to sign a contract.”
Within a year and a half, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut versus Luton.
Scott went on to make 83 league outings for the Robins while still a teenager, often being used as a wing-back – and sometimes further forward as a number 10 – such was his adaptability and flexibility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his ability to carry the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to City and national team playmaker Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he won the second tier’s best young player honour, was chosen in the division’s best XI 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,” his former manager, Scott’s boss at the club, remarked previously.
Less than 90 days later, he signed for Bournemouth for a reported fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his big move
Scott endured a challenging first season with the club, waiting until the autumn to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then finding himself in and out of the team.
His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for nearly several months.
“I had quite a good run at the end of last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.
“That felt like almost another obstacle and the year 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 get himself fit for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they claimed victory in the competition in Slovakia, developing a formidable partnership in the middle with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the first team with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started this season equally as impressively for his club, featuring in every game to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“To play for the national team would be among the most special moments of my career,” Scott stated recently.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, maintain my love for the game, improving day on day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”
