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 coach back then assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
This statement turned out to be something of an understatement.
Today aged 22 and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the playmaker has just received his first call-up to the senior Three Lions squad.
His rise from non-league prodigy to possible international star is a true throwback, a story 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, let alone featuring in the Premier League and representing England as well,” Scott said in a recent interview.
“It’s been a crazy five or six years of my life, and circumstances have changed completely for me and my loved ones.”
So in what way did Alex Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself here?
Developing in the lower tiers
His football journey has been far from a conventional one.
He spent four and a half years in the Saints’ youth system from the age of eight, skipping school each Friday to fly from his island home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could train and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before his 13th birthday, however, they released him. The Cherries gave him an option and he remained with them for a while, but, as he later admitted, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he opted to stay on the island and turn out for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over every week was starting to feel a bit too much,” he explained.
“I just wanted to relax at home with my mates at weekends because I missed almost several years of doing that. To have that little bit of childhood back was a thing I definitely needed.
“To gain some self-belief by coming back and playing island football was huge for me. That proved to be probably one of the most important factors that led me to this point.”
When he was just 16, Scott became the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a 57th-minute substitute in their 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 he’s that good,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance stated at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the way he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Championship side the Robins – chaired by islander Steve Lansdown – had been tracking his development after an promising start in men’s football and gave him a trial in December 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” said Scott. “Day one I trained with the under-18s, the second day I was with the senior squad, which was a total shock.
“On the Wednesday I featured for Guernsey FC in the capital, travelled back and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and netted a three goals. From that point a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
In just 18 months, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut versus the Hatters.
He went on to make eighty-three league outings for the Robins while in his teens, often being used as a wing-back – and occasionally in attack as a number 10 – demonstrating his adaptability and flexibility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role 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 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 top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I think he will represent his country and I’m sure he’ll go on to the top of the game,” his former manager, Scott’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked last year.
Within 90 days after, he joined the Cherries for a reported fee of £25m.
Getting his big move
The midfielder experienced a challenging first season with the club, having to wait until the autumn to earn his top-flight debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then being in and out of the team.
His second campaign was equally disrupted, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for almost several months.
“There was a decent run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained he.
“It was yet another setback and it was turning out to be quite a terrible start for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in regain fitness for the tournament.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they went on to win the tournament in the host nation, forming a strong understanding in the middle with his teammate, who in turn has gone on to impress for the first team under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun the current campaign equally as impressively for Bournemouth, playing in all matches to help them to fifth in the table.
“Representing the national team would be one of the proudest occasions of my career,” Scott said recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, improving every day, and hopefully I impress the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
