When the young midfielder made his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 spectators in 2019, his manager at the time predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
This statement turned out to be something of an underestimation.
Now 22 years old and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the midfielder has just received his maiden summons to the full Three Lions team.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to possible international star is a true blast from the past, a journey rarely seen in the modern game.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of becoming a pro footballer, let alone playing in the Premier League and representing the national team as well,” Scott said previously.
“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and things have changed completely for me and my loved ones.”
So how did Alex Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself at this level?
Developing in the lower tiers
Scott’s football journey has been far from a typical one.
He was part of four and a half years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, leaving school early each Friday to fly from his island home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could attend training and play for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth gave Scott an opportunity and he remained with them for a time, but, as he later admitted, his mind was not in it.
Instead, he opted to remain on the island and turn out for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling weekly was starting to feel a bit too much,” he explained.
“I just wanted to relax at home with my mates at weekends because I had missed almost several years of that experience. To have that slice of youth again was something I definitely needed.
“To gain some confidence by coming back and playing local football was massive for me. It was perhaps one of the most important factors that led me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, Scott became the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a second-half replacement in their league fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the team because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance commented at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the manner he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Championship side Bristol City – owned by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring Scott’s development after an promising beginning in adult football and arranged a trial in late 2019.
“It was hectic,” recalled Scott. “The first day I trained with the youth team, the second day I trained with the first team, which was a complete surprise.
“Midweek I played for his local side in the capital, returned home and on the Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a hat-trick. It was almost a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
In just 18 months, even well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut against the Hatters.
Scott went on to make eighty-three league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, often being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally in attack as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his adaptability and flexibility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was their best player.
Thanks to his ability to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to City and national team playmaker Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the EFL Championship’s young player of the season award, was selected in the league’s best XI and was voted Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I think he will represent his country and I think he’ll go on to the top of the game,” his former manager, the player’s boss at the club, stated last year.
Less than 90 days after, he signed for the Cherries for a reported fee of £25m.
Getting his big move
The midfielder experienced a challenging first season with the Cherries, having to wait until October to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then finding himself inconsistent of the team.
His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for almost four months.
“I had a decent run at the close of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” said he.
“It was almost another obstacle and it was shaping up as quite a terrible year for the first half.”
But he was then selected 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 games as they claimed victory in the competition in Slovakia, forming a strong partnership in the middle with his teammate, who himself has gone on to impress for the first team with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun this season equally as strongly for Bournemouth, 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,” the player stated recently.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, maintain my love for football, getting better day on day, and hopefully I impress the national coach and get my chance.”
