When the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager at the time predicted, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
That statement proved to be a bit of an underestimation.
Today 22 years old and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the playmaker has just received his maiden call-up to the full Three Lions squad.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to potential England player is a proper blast from the past, a journey rarely told in the modern game.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was no chance of making it as a professional football player, let alone playing in the top division and playing for England too,” the player said previously.
“It has been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have transformed drastically for me and my loved ones.”
But how did Alex Scott, known fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up here?
Developing in non-league
Scott’s football journey has not been a typical one.
He spent four and a half years in the Saints’ academy setup from the age of eight, skipping school each Friday to travel by air from his home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could attend training and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Before he turned 13, though, they decided to let him go. The Cherries gave Scott an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, as he later admitted, his heart was not in it.
Instead, he opted to remain on Guernsey and play for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over every week was becoming a bit too much,” he explained.
“I just wanted to relax at my home with my mates at weekends because I had missed nearly several years of that experience. To have that slice of youth again was a thing I really needed.
“Building some confidence by coming back and playing island football was massive for me. It was probably the most crucial factors that got me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, the teenager became the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a second-half substitute in their league match at the opposition.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could include him in the side because his talent is obvious,” manager Tony Vance stated back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Championship side the Robins – owned by islander Steve Lansdown – had been tracking his early progress after an impressive start in men’s football and gave him a try-out in late 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” recalled the player. “The first day I trained with the under-18s, the next day I trained with the senior squad, which was a complete shock.
“Midweek I featured for Guernsey FC in London, travelled back and on the Friday, I played for the youth team and netted a three goals. From that point a certainty for me to sign a contract.”
Within 18 months, even well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut against Luton.
Scott made eighty-three league outings for the Robins while in his teens, frequently being used as a wing-back – and sometimes in attack as a attacking midfielder – such was his versatility and versatility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was their best player.
Thanks to his ability to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he claimed the EFL Championship’s young player of the season honour, was selected in the league’s team of the year and was voted Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I think he will represent his country and I’m sure he will progress to the pinnacle of the game,” his former manager, Scott’s manager at the club, remarked last year.
Within three months later, he signed for Bournemouth for a reported transfer fee of £25m.
Getting his major transfer
Scott experienced a challenging first season with the Cherries, waiting until October to make his top-flight debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then finding himself inconsistent of the starting XI.
His second campaign was just as disrupted, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for nearly several months.
“There was a decent run at the end of last season, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained he.
“It was yet another setback and it was shaping up as quite a terrible start for the first half.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in regain fitness in time.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six matches as they went on to win the competition in Slovakia, forming a formidable understanding in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who himself has gone on to impress for the first team with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started the current campaign equally as strongly for his club, featuring in all matches to help them to fifth in the standings.
“Representing the national team would be among the most special occasions of my life,” the player said recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, improving day on day, and with luck I catch the eye of the national coach and get my chance.”
