Back when the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his manager 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 an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the midfielder has just received his first summons to the senior Three Lions team.
His rise from non-league prodigy to possible international star is a true blast from the past, a journey rarely seen in the modern game.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was no chance of becoming a professional football player, let alone featuring in the Premier League and representing England as well,” Scott stated previously.
“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for myself and my family.”
But how did Alex Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself at this level?
Developing in the lower tiers
His football journey has not been a typical one.
He was part of four and a half years in Southampton’s youth system starting at 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 play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before his 13th birthday, though, they decided to let him go. The Cherries were willing to offer him an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, as he later admitted, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he chose to remain on the island and turn out for his local team.
“My form had dipped and flying over weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to relax at my home with my friends at weekends because I missed nearly several years of doing that. Getting that little bit of childhood again was something I really required.
“Building a bit of self-belief by returning and taking part in local football was massive for me. It was probably one of the most important factors that led me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, Scott became the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a second-half substitute in their Isthmian League match at the opposition.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the team because his talent is obvious,” manager Tony Vance commented at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Second-tier club Bristol City – chaired by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring his development after an impressive beginning in men’s football and gave him a trial in late 2019.
“It was hectic,” recalled the player. “The first day I joined the under-18s, the next day I trained with the first team, which was a total surprise.
“On the Wednesday I played for his local side in the capital, travelled back and by Friday, I played for the youth team and scored a three goals. From that point a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
In just 18 months, even well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut against the Hatters.
He made 83 league appearances for the club while still a teenager, often being used as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – such was his adaptability and versatility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his ability to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to 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 chosen in the league’s team of the year and was named the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I believe he will represent England and I’m sure he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the game,” his former manager, Scott’s boss at Ashton Gate, remarked last year.
Within 90 days later, he joined Bournemouth for a understood fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his big move
The midfielder endured a challenging first season with the Cherries, having to wait until October to make his Premier League debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.
His second campaign was just as affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for nearly four months.
“There was a decent run at the close of last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” said Scott.
“It was almost another setback and it was turning out to be a pretty bad start for the first half.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in get himself fit for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six games as they claimed victory in the tournament in Slovakia, forming a strong partnership in the middle with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the first team with the national coach.
And he has started the current campaign just as strongly for his club, featuring in every game to help them to fifth in the table.
“To play for the England senior team would be one of the proudest occasions of my life,” the player said recently.
“It’s down to me, I must keep progressing as a player, keep enjoying football, improving day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
