When the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut against Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 fans in 2019, his coach at the time assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
This statement turned out to be something of an understatement.
Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his first summons to the full Three Lions team.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to potential international star is a true throwback, a story rarely seen in the modern game.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of making it as a pro footballer, let alone featuring in the top division and representing the national team as well,” the player stated previously.
“It has been a incredible five or six years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for myself and my loved ones.”
But in what way did Alex Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself here?
Learning in non-league
His football journey has not been a conventional one.
He was part of over four years in Southampton’s academy setup starting at eight, skipping school each 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 club’s academy sides.
Before his 13th birthday, though, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth were willing to offer him an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind was not in it.
Rather, he chose to remain on the island and turn out for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he explained.
“All I desired to relax at my home with my friends at the weekend because I missed nearly four and a half years of that experience. To have that slice of youth back was something I definitely required.
“Building a bit of self-belief by coming back and playing local football was huge for me. It was probably the most crucial factors that got me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, the teenager made history as the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a 57th-minute substitute in their 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 the coach commented back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the way he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Second-tier club the Robins – owned by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking Scott’s early progress after an impressive beginning in adult football and arranged a trial in December 2019.
“It was hectic,” said the player. “The first day I trained with the under-18s, the next day I was with the first team, which was a complete surprise.
“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, travelled back and by Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a three goals. It was almost a done deal for me to sign a deal.”
Within a year and a half, still well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut versus the Hatters.
He made eighty-three league outings for the Robins while still a teenager, often being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – demonstrating his adaptability and flexibility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
With his ability to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and England attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he claimed the second tier’s best young player honour, was selected in the division’s team of the year and was voted the club’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I think he’ll play for England and I think he will progress to the top of the sport,” his former manager, Scott’s manager at Ashton Gate, stated last year.
Less than 90 days after, he joined Bournemouth for a understood fee of £25m.
Getting his big move
The midfielder experienced a challenging first season with the club, having to wait until October to make his top-flight debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then finding himself in and out of the team.
His second campaign was just as affected, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for nearly four months.
“There was a decent run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said he.
“It was almost another obstacle and it was shaping up as a pretty bad start for the first half.”
But he was then called up by England for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in regain fitness for the tournament.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they went on to win the competition in the host nation, forming a formidable partnership in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who himself has excelled for the first team under the national coach.
And he has begun this season equally as impressively for his club, featuring in all matches to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“Representing the national team would be one of the proudest moments of my life,” the player stated earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a footballer, maintain my love for football, improving day on day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”
