When the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut against 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 turned out to be something of an understatement.
Today 22 years old and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his maiden summons to the senior Three Lions squad.
His rise from non-league prodigy to potential England player is a proper blast from the past, a story rarely told in the modern era.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of making it as a pro footballer, never mind featuring in the top division and playing for England as well,” the player said previously.
“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and things have changed drastically for myself and my loved ones.”
So how did Alex Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up at this level?
Developing in non-league
Scott’s path in football has not been a conventional one.
He was part of over four years in the Saints’ academy setup from the age of eight, skipping school each Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could attend training and play for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to his 13th birthday, though, they decided to let him go. The Cherries were willing to offer Scott an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart was not in it.
Instead, he opted to remain on Guernsey and turn out for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over weekly was starting to feel a bit too much,” he explained.
“All I desired to relax at home with my mates at the weekend because I had missed almost four and a half years of doing that. To have that slice of childhood back was a thing I definitely required.
“To gain some self-belief by returning and taking part in island football was huge for me. It was perhaps the most crucial factors that got me where I am today.”
When he was just 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 fixture at the opposition.
“I had sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the team because his talent is obvious,” manager the coach stated back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Second-tier club Bristol City – chaired by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring Scott’s early progress after an promising start in adult football and arranged a trial in late 2019.
“It was hectic,” said Scott. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the next day I trained with the senior squad, which was a total surprise.
“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in London, returned home and on the Friday, I took the field 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.”
In just 18 months, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut versus Luton.
Scott made 83 league appearances for the club while in his teens, often being used as a wide defender – and sometimes further forward as a number 10 – demonstrating his versatility and flexibility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was their best player.
With his ability to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to City and England attacking midfielder Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he won the second tier’s best young player honour, was chosen in the division’s best XI and was voted Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I think he will represent England and I think he’ll go on to the top of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s boss at Ashton Gate, remarked last year.
Within 90 days after, he joined the Cherries for a reported fee of £25m.
Getting his big move
Scott endured a difficult debut campaign with the club, waiting until October to make his top-flight debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then finding himself inconsistent of the team.
His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for nearly four months.
“I had quite a good 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 quite a terrible start for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by England for the U21 Euros – and managed to get himself fit in time.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they went on to win the tournament in the host nation, developing a strong understanding in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who himself has excelled for the senior side under the national coach.
And he has started this season just as strongly for his club, featuring in every game to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“To play for the national team would be among the most special moments of my career,” the player stated recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, keep enjoying the game, getting better every day, and with luck I catch the eye of the national coach and get my chance.”
