When the young midfielder made his local team debut against Phoenix Sports before just 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
That prediction proved to be a bit of an understatement.
Now 22 years old and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the midfielder has just received his maiden summons to the full England team.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to potential international star is a true blast from the past, a story rarely told in the modern game.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was no chance of making it as a professional football player, never mind featuring in the Premier League and representing England as well,” Scott stated in a recent interview.
“It has been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have changed drastically for me and my family.”
But in what way did Alex Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up at this level?
Learning in the lower tiers
His path in football has been far from a typical one.
He spent four and a half years in the Saints’ youth system from the age of eight, leaving school early each Friday to fly from his island home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could attend training and play for the club’s academy sides.
Before his 13th birthday, though, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth were willing to offer Scott an option and he remained with them for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he chose to remain on Guernsey and play for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling weekly was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to relax at my home with my mates at the weekend because I had missed almost four and a half years of doing that. To have that slice of childhood again was something I really required.
“To gain some confidence by returning and taking part in local football was massive for me. That proved to be probably one of the most important things that got me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, Scott became the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a 57th-minute replacement in their league match at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the team because he’s that good,” manager Tony Vance commented at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the way he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Second-tier club the Robins – owned by islander their owner – had been tracking Scott’s early progress after an impressive start in adult football and gave him a trial in late 2019.
“It was hectic,” said Scott. “Day one I trained with the youth team, the next day I trained with the first team, which was a total shock.
“Midweek I featured for Guernsey FC in London, travelled back and by Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a hat-trick. It was almost a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
In just 18 months, even well before his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut against Luton.
Scott went on to make 83 league outings for the club while still a teenager, frequently being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – such was his versatility and versatility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was their best player.
Thanks to his ability to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to City and national team playmaker Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he won the EFL Championship’s best young player award, was chosen in the league’s team of the year and was named the club’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I think he will represent England and I think he will progress to the pinnacle of the sport,” his former manager, Scott’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated previously.
Within three months later, he joined the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his major transfer
Scott endured a difficult first season with the club, waiting until the autumn to make his Premier League debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.
His second campaign was just as affected, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for nearly several months.
“There was a decent run at the close of last season, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” said he.
“That felt like yet another obstacle and the year was turning out to be a pretty bad year for the first half.”
But he was then selected by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in regain fitness in time.
He started five of the England U21s’ six games as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, developing a strong understanding in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has gone on to impress for the first team with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started this season just as strongly for his club, playing in every game to help them to the top five in the table.
“Representing the national team would be among the most special occasions of my life,” Scott stated earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I must continue developing as a footballer, maintain my love for the game, improving every day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the national coach and get my chance.”
