When the young midfielder made his local team debut against Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 fans in 2019, his manager at the time assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
That prediction turned out to be a bit of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the playmaker has just received his maiden call-up to the full Three Lions squad.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to possible England player is a true throwback, a story rarely seen in the modern game.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was no chance of becoming a professional football player, never mind playing in the Premier League and representing the national team as well,” Scott stated in a recent interview.
“It’s been a crazy five or six years of my life, and circumstances have changed completely for myself and my family.”
So how did Alex Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself here?
Developing in the lower tiers
Scott’s football journey has not been a typical one.
He spent four and a half years in Southampton’s youth system starting at eight, leaving school early every Friday to fly from his home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could train and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. The Cherries were willing to offer Scott an opportunity 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 opted to stay 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.
“I just wanted to relax at home with my mates at the weekend because I had missed almost four and a half years of that experience. Getting that little bit of childhood again was a thing I definitely required.
“Building some confidence by returning and taking part in island football was massive for me. It was probably the most crucial things that led me to this point.”
When he was just 16, Scott made history as the youngest player in the club’s records when he was introduced as a second-half substitute in their Isthmian League fixture at the opposition.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights 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 a class act.”
Returning to the professional game
Championship side the Robins – chaired by islander their owner – had been tracking his early progress after an promising start in men’s football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled Scott. “Day one I joined the youth team, the second 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 three goals. It was almost a done deal for me to sign a deal.”
In just 18 months, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut against Luton.
Scott went on to make 83 league outings for the Robins while in his teens, often being used as a wing-back – and sometimes in attack as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his versatility and flexibility. 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 rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team attacking midfielder Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the EFL Championship’s best young player award, was selected in the league’s best XI and was voted the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I believe he will represent his country and I’m sure he’ll go on to the top of the sport,” his former manager, the player’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated last year.
Within three months later, he joined Bournemouth for a reported transfer fee of £25m.
Getting his major transfer
The midfielder endured a challenging debut campaign with the Cherries, waiting until October to earn his top-flight debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then finding himself in and out of the team.
His following season was just as affected, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for nearly several months.
“There was quite a good run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained he.
“That felt like almost another obstacle and the year was shaping up as quite a terrible start for the first half.”
But he was then called up by England for the U21 Euros – and managed to regain fitness in time.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they went on to win the competition in Slovakia, forming a strong understanding in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who himself has excelled for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started the current campaign equally as impressively for his club, playing in all matches to guide them to the top five in the table.
“Representing the England senior team would be among the most special moments of my life,” the player stated recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for the game, improving every day, and with luck I impress the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
