When the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his manager at the time assured, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
That prediction proved to be something of an understatement.
Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the midfielder has earned his maiden call-up to the senior Three Lions team.
His rise from non-league prodigy to possible England player is a true blast from the past, a journey seldom seen in the modern era.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of becoming a professional football player, never mind playing in the top division and representing the national team as well,” Scott said in a recent interview.
“It’s been a crazy five or six years of my life, and things have transformed completely for myself and my family.”
So in what way did Alex Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up 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 the Saints’ youth system from the age of eight, skipping school each Friday to travel by air from his island home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could train and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before he turned 13, however, they released him. Bournemouth gave him an option and he remained with them for a time, but, as he later admitted, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he chose to stay on the island and turn out for his local team.
“My form had dipped and flying over weekly was starting to feel overwhelming,” he explained.
“I just wanted to relax at my home with my mates at the weekend because I missed nearly four and a half years of doing that. Getting that slice of childhood again was something I really needed.
“Building some self-belief by returning and taking part in island football was huge for me. That proved to be perhaps one of the most important things that got me where I am today.”
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 fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the team because his talent is obvious,” manager the coach stated at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the way he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Championship side Bristol City – chaired by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking Scott’s development after an impressive start in men’s football and gave him a trial in December 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” recalled Scott. “The first day I joined the youth team, the second day I was with the senior squad, which was a total shock.
“On the Wednesday I played for his local side in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a hat-trick. From that point a certainty for me to sign a deal.”
In just 18 months, even well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut against Luton.
Scott made eighty-three league outings for the club while in his teens, frequently being used as a wing-back – and sometimes further forward as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his versatility and flexibility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
With his ability to carry the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team attacking midfielder Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he won the second tier’s best young player award, was chosen in the league’s team of the year and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I think he will represent his country and I’m sure he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated last year.
Less than 90 days later, he signed for Bournemouth for a understood transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his major transfer
The midfielder endured a difficult first season with the club, having to wait until October to make his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then being in and out of the team.
His following season was just as disrupted, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for almost several months.
“I had a decent run at the close of last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” said he.
“It was almost another setback and it was turning out to be a pretty bad start for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the U21 Euros – and managed to regain fitness for the tournament.
He started five of the England U21s’ six matches as they claimed victory in the tournament in the host nation, developing a formidable understanding in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has excelled for the first team with the national coach.
And he has begun the current campaign just as strongly for Bournemouth, featuring in every game to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“Representing the national team would be among the most special occasions of my career,” the player stated earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I must continue developing as a player, maintain my love for the game, improving every day, and hopefully I impress the national coach and get my chance.”
