When the young midfielder made his Guernsey 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.”
That statement turned out to be a bit of an understatement.
Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has earned his first summons to the full England squad.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to possible international star is a true blast from the past, a story seldom seen in the modern era.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was no chance of becoming a pro footballer, let alone playing in the Premier League and playing for England too,” Scott said in a recent interview.
“It’s been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and things have changed drastically for me and my family.”
But how did Alex Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself at this level?
Learning in the lower tiers
His path in football has not been a conventional one.
He was part of four and a half years in the Saints’ academy setup from the age of eight, skipping school every Friday to travel by air from his island home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could train and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to his 13th birthday, though, they released him. Bournemouth gave Scott an option and he remained with them for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he opted to remain on the island and turn out for his local team.
“My form had dipped and flying over every week was starting to feel a bit too much,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to chill at my home with my mates at the weekend because I missed nearly several years of that experience. Getting that little bit of childhood back was something I really needed.
“Building some self-belief by coming back and taking part in local football was huge for me. It was perhaps one of the most important things that got me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, Scott made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he came on as a 57th-minute substitute in their Isthmian League match at the opposition.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the side because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance stated back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Championship side Bristol City – owned by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking Scott’s development after an promising start in men’s football and arranged a trial in late 2019.
“It was hectic,” said the player. “Day one I trained with the under-18s, the second day I was with the senior squad, which was a complete shock.
“Midweek I played for his local side in London, returned home and on the Friday, I took the field for the youth team and netted a hat-trick. From that point a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
In just 18 months, still well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut versus the Hatters.
Scott made 83 league appearances for the club while in his teens, frequently being used as a wing-back – and sometimes further forward as a number 10 – such was his adaptability and versatility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
With his skill to drive the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to City and England attacking midfielder Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the second tier’s young player of the season honour, was chosen in the division’s team of the year and was named the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I think he’ll play for his country and I think he will progress to the top of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked last year.
Less than 90 days later, he joined Bournemouth for a understood transfer fee of £25m.
Getting his big move
The midfielder endured a difficult first season with the Cherries, having to wait until October to make his top-flight debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.
His following season was just as disrupted, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for nearly several months.
“I had a decent run at the end of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said he.
“It was yet another setback and the year was turning out to be quite a terrible year for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by England for the U21 Euros – and managed to get himself fit in time.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six matches as they claimed victory in the competition in the host nation, developing a strong partnership in the middle with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the first team with the national coach.
And he has begun this season equally as impressively for Bournemouth, featuring in every game to help them to the top five in the standings.
“To play for the England senior team would be one of the proudest occasions of my career,” the player stated earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying the game, improving every day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the national coach and get my chance.”
