When the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut against Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 spectators in 2019, his coach back then assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
That prediction turned out to be a bit of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his first summons to the full Three Lions squad.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to potential England player is a proper throwback, a journey seldom seen in the modern era.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was no chance of becoming a professional football player, never mind featuring in the Premier League and playing for England as well,” Scott stated in a recent interview.
“It’s been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for me and my family.”
But in what way did Alex Scott, known fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up here?
Developing in the lower tiers
Scott’s football journey has been far from a typical one.
He was part of over four years in the Saints’ youth system starting at eight, leaving school early each Friday to travel by air from his home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could attend training and play for the club’s academy sides.
Before his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth were willing to offer Scott an option and he remained with them for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind was not in it.
Rather, he opted to stay on Guernsey and play for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and flying over every week was starting to feel a bit too much,” he recalled.
“All I desired to relax at home with my mates at the weekend because I missed almost four and a half years of doing that. To have that slice of youth again was a thing I definitely needed.
“Building a bit of self-belief by coming back and taking part in local football was huge for me. That proved to be probably the most crucial factors that led 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 came on as a 57th-minute substitute in their Isthmian League match at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the side because he’s that good,” manager the coach stated at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the manner he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Championship side the Robins – owned by islander Steve Lansdown – had been tracking his development after an promising start in adult football and gave him a try-out in late 2019.
“It was hectic,” recalled the player. “The first day I joined the under-18s, the second day I trained with the first team, which was a total surprise.
“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, returned home and on the Friday, I took the field for the youth team and netted a three goals. It was almost a done deal for me to sign a contract.”
Within 18 months, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut versus Luton.
He made eighty-three league appearances for the Robins while still a teenager, often being used as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was 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 Manchester City and England attacking midfielder Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he claimed the EFL Championship’s young player of the season award, was selected 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 think he will progress to the top of the game,” his former manager, the player’s manager at the club, remarked last year.
Less than 90 days later, he joined Bournemouth for a reported fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his big move
The midfielder experienced a challenging first season with the club, waiting until the autumn to earn his Premier League debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then finding himself in and out of the starting XI.
His second campaign was equally disrupted, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for nearly four months.
“I had a decent run at the end of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said Scott.
“That felt like yet another setback and the year was turning out to be quite a terrible year for the first half.”
But he was then selected by England for the U21 Euros – and managed to regain fitness for the tournament.
He started five of the England U21s’ six matches as they went on to win the tournament in the host nation, developing a strong partnership in midfield with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started this season equally as strongly for his club, featuring in every game to guide them to fifth in the standings.
“Representing the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my life,” Scott said recently.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to continue developing as a player, keep enjoying football, getting better every day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
