When the young midfielder made his local team debut against Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager back then assured, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
This statement turned out to be something of an underestimation.
Today aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the midfielder has just received his maiden summons to the full Three Lions team.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to potential international star is a proper throwback, a journey rarely seen in the modern game.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of becoming a professional football player, let alone playing in the top division and playing for the national team as well,” Scott said previously.
“It’s been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have transformed drastically for myself and my family.”
But how did Alex Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself here?
Developing in non-league
His football journey has not been a conventional one.
He spent over four years in Southampton’s youth system from the age of eight, leaving school early each Friday to travel by air from his home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could train and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to he turned 13, however, they released him. Bournemouth were willing to offer him an opportunity and he remained with them for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he opted to stay on the island and turn out for his local team.
“My form had dipped and traveling every week was starting to feel a bit too much,” he explained.
“I just wanted to chill at my home with my mates at weekends because I had missed almost four and a half years of that experience. Getting that little bit of youth back was something I really needed.
“Building 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 where I am today.”
When he was just 16, the teenager made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he was introduced as a second-half replacement in their Isthmian League fixture at the opposition.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could include him in the side because his talent is obvious,” manager the coach stated back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the way he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Championship side Bristol City – owned by islander Steve Lansdown – had been tracking his early progress after an promising beginning in adult football and arranged a trial in December 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” said the player. “Day one I trained with the under-18s, the next day I was with the senior squad, which was a total shock.
“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in London, returned home and on the Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a three goals. From that point a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
Within a year and a half, still well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut against Luton.
Scott went on to make 83 league appearances for the club while still a teenager, often being deployed as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – demonstrating his versatility and versatility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
With his skill to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to City and England attacking midfielder Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he claimed the EFL Championship’s young player of the season honour, was chosen in the division’s best XI and was voted Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I think he’ll play for England and I think he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the game,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s boss at the club, remarked previously.
Within three months later, he joined the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of £25m.
Getting his big move
The midfielder endured a challenging debut campaign with the Cherries, waiting until the autumn to make his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then finding himself in and out of the starting XI.
His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for almost four months.
“I had quite a good run at the end of last season, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.
“That felt like yet another obstacle and it was turning out to be a pretty bad year for the first half.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in get himself fit in time.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, developing a strong understanding in midfield with his teammate, who in turn has gone on to impress for the senior side under the national coach.
And he has begun this season just as strongly for Bournemouth, featuring in every game to help them to the top five in the table.
“Representing the national team would be one of the proudest moments of my career,” the player said earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I must keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying the game, improving day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
