When the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports before just 55 spectators in 2019, his coach back then assured, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
That statement turned out to be something of an understatement.
Today aged 22 and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the midfielder has just received his first summons to the senior England squad.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to potential England player is a true blast from the past, a journey seldom seen in the modern game.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a professional football player, never mind featuring in the top division and playing for England too,” Scott said in a recent interview.
“It has been a crazy five or six years of my life, and circumstances have changed drastically for me and my family.”
But in what way did Alex Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself here?
Learning in non-league
His path in football has been far from a conventional one.
He spent over four years in the Saints’ youth system 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 play for the club’s academy sides.
Before he turned 13, though, they released him. Bournemouth gave Scott an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, as he later admitted, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he opted to stay on Guernsey and play for his local team.
“My form had dipped and flying over weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to chill at home with my friends at weekends because I missed nearly four and a half years of doing that. Getting that slice of childhood again was a thing I really required.
“Building some confidence by coming back and playing island football was massive for me. It was perhaps one of the most important factors that led me to this point.”
When he was just 16, the teenager became the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a second-half replacement in their Isthmian League match at Phoenix Sports.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could include him in the side because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance commented back then.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the manner he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Championship side the Robins – owned by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring Scott’s early progress after an impressive start in men’s football and gave him a trial in December 2019.
“It was hectic,” recalled Scott. “The first day I joined the youth team, the second day I was with the senior squad, which was a total shock.
“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in London, returned home and on the Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a hat-trick. It was almost a certainty for me to sign a contract.”
Within a year and a half, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut against the Hatters.
He went on to make eighty-three league outings for the club while still a teenager, often being used as a wing-back – and occasionally in attack as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his versatility and flexibility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
With his ability to carry the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and England attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the second tier’s best young player award, was chosen in the league’s team of the year and was voted Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I think he’ll play for his country and I’m sure he will progress to the pinnacle of the sport,” his former manager, Scott’s manager at the club, stated last year.
Within three months later, he joined the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of £25m.
Getting his major transfer
The midfielder experienced a difficult debut campaign with the club, waiting until October to earn his top-flight debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then finding himself in and out of the starting XI.
His following season was equally disrupted, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for almost several months.
“I had a decent run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” said he.
“It was almost another obstacle and the year was turning out to be quite a terrible year for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in regain fitness in time.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they went on to win the tournament in the host nation, forming a formidable understanding in the middle with his teammate, who himself has gone on to impress for the senior side with the national coach.
And he has started this season just as strongly for Bournemouth, featuring in every game to guide them to fifth in the table.
“Representing the national team would be one of the proudest moments of my career,” Scott stated earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, maintain my love for the game, improving day on day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and earn an opportunity.”