Back when the young midfielder made his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager back then assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
This statement turned out to be a bit of an underestimation.
Today 22 years old and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the midfielder has earned his first call-up to the senior England squad.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to possible England player is a proper blast from the past, a journey seldom seen in the modern game.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of becoming a pro footballer, never mind playing in the top division and playing for the national team too,” Scott said in a recent interview.
“It’s been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have changed completely for me and my loved ones.”
But how did Alex Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself here?
Learning in the lower tiers
His path in football has been far from a conventional one.
He was part of four and a half years in the Saints’ youth system from the age of eight, leaving school early every Friday to travel by air from his island home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could attend training and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before his 13th birthday, though, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth gave Scott an opportunity and he remained with them for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind was not in it.
Instead, he chose to remain on the island and play for his local team.
“My form had dipped and flying over every week was becoming a bit too much,” he recalled.
“All I desired to relax at my home with my friends at weekends because I missed almost several years of that experience. To have that slice of childhood again was a thing I really required.
“To gain some self-belief by returning and playing local football was huge for me. That proved to be probably one of the most important factors that led me to this point.”
When he was just 16, Scott became the youngest player in the club’s records when he was introduced as a second-half substitute in their Isthmian League fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I had sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the side because he’s that good,” manager the coach stated at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the manner he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the professional game
Second-tier club Bristol City – owned by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking Scott’s early progress after an promising start in adult football and arranged a trial in late 2019.
“It was chaos,” said the player. “The first day I trained with the under-18s, the next day I was with the senior squad, which was a total surprise.
“Midweek I featured for his local side in London, travelled back and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a hat-trick. From that point a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
Within 18 months, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut versus the Hatters.
Scott went on to make 83 league appearances for the club while still a teenager, frequently being deployed as a wide defender – and sometimes further forward as a number 10 – demonstrating his adaptability and versatility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was their best player.
Thanks to his skill to drive the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to City and national team attacking midfielder Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he claimed the EFL Championship’s best young player honour, was selected in the league’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’m sure he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the game,” his former manager, the player’s manager at the club, remarked previously.
Less than three months after, he joined Bournemouth for a understood fee of £25m.
Getting his big move
The midfielder experienced a difficult debut campaign with the Cherries, having to wait until the autumn to make his top-flight debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then being in and out of the team.
His second campaign was just as affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for nearly several months.
“There was quite a good run at the end of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.
“It was almost another setback and it was turning out to be quite a terrible year for the first half.”
But he was then selected by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to get himself fit for the tournament.
He started five of the England U21s’ six games as they claimed victory in the tournament in Slovakia, forming a strong understanding in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who himself has excelled for the first team under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started this season just as impressively for Bournemouth, playing in all matches to help them to fifth in the standings.
“Representing the England senior team would be one of the proudest occasions of my life,” Scott said recently.
“It’s down to me, I must continue developing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, getting better day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
