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 manager back then predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
That prediction turned out to be a bit of an understatement.
Today 22 years old and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the playmaker has just received his first call-up to the full England team.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to possible international star is a true throwback, a story rarely seen in the modern game.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was no chance of becoming a pro footballer, never mind featuring in the top division and representing England as well,” Scott said previously.
“It’s been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and things have changed drastically for me and my family.”
So how did Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself at this level?
Learning 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, skipping school each Friday to travel by air from his home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could attend training and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before his 13th birthday, however, they released him. The Cherries were willing to offer him an option and he remained with them for a time, but, as he later admitted, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he chose to remain on Guernsey and turn out for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he explained.
“All I desired to chill at my home with my friends at weekends because I missed nearly several years of doing that. To have that little bit of childhood again was something I really required.
“To gain a bit of confidence by returning and taking part in island football was massive for me. It was perhaps the most crucial factors that got me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, Scott made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a 57th-minute replacement in their Isthmian League match at the opposition.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could include him in the side because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance stated back then.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the manner he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the professional game
Second-tier club Bristol City – chaired by islander Steve Lansdown – had been tracking his development after an impressive beginning in men’s football and gave him a trial in December 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” said the player. “Day one I joined the youth team, the second day I was with the first team, which was a total surprise.
“Midweek I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, travelled back and on the Friday, I played for the youth team and scored a hat-trick. It was almost a certainty for me to sign a contract.”
In just a year and a half, even well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut against Luton.
Scott made 83 league appearances for the Robins while still a teenager, frequently being used as a wide defender – and sometimes in attack as a attacking midfielder – such was his adaptability 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 moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to City and England attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he won 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 believe he will represent his country and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the sport,” his former manager, Scott’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.
Less than three months after, he signed for Bournemouth for a reported fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his big move
The midfielder endured a challenging debut campaign with the club, waiting until the autumn to earn his top-flight debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then finding himself in and out of the team.
His second campaign was equally disrupted, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for nearly several months.
“I had quite a good run at the close of last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained he.
“That felt like yet another setback and the year was shaping up as a pretty bad start for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the U21 Euros – and managed to get himself fit for the tournament.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six games as they went on to win the tournament in the host nation, forming a strong partnership in midfield with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun this season just as impressively for his club, featuring in every game to help them to fifth in the standings.
“To play for the England senior team would be among the most special moments of my career,” the player stated recently.
“It’s down to me, I must continue developing as a footballer, keep enjoying the game, improving day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”
