Alex Scott (footballer, born 2003)

Alex Jay Scott (born 21 August 2003) is a Guernsey-born professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for  club AFC Bournemouth and the England national under-21 football team.

Club career
Scott signed for Isthmian League side Guernsey on turning 16 having previously trained with the youth teams of Southampton and Bournemouth, he made his debut for the Green Lions against Phoenix Sports on 31 August 2019 becoming the youngest ever Guernsey player. Scott made 15 appearances for Guernsey before his transfer in January 2020.

Bristol City
In December 2019, Scott signed a pre-contract agreement with Championship side Bristol City. Having initially linked up with the club's academy, Scott signed his first professional contract with Bristol City in March 2021. Scott made his professional debut with Bristol City as a starter in a 1–1 Championship draw to Blackpool on 7 August 2021. After missing a crucial chance earlier on in the game against Nottingham Forest, Scott soon went on to get his first career goal for the Robins, putting them 1–0 up on 19 October 2021 at the 39th minute mark, coming off in the 78th minute in a game that ended 2–1 to Nottingham Forest.

Scott's impressive performances across the 2022–23 season did not go unnoticed with manager Nigel Pearson valuing him at over £25 million amid interest from a number of Premier League clubs. He was awarded the EFL Young Player of the Month award for February 2023 having played a starring role in Bristol City's midfield as they climbed the table. Following Bristol City's defeat against Manchester City in the FA Cup on 28 February 2023, Scott was described by Pep Guardiola as an "unbelievable player", and by Jack Grealish as a "top, top talent". On 23 April 2023, Scott was named EFL Championship Young Player of the Season, and included in the EFL Championship Team of the Season. In April 2023, Scott claimed to pay little attention to transfer speculation, stating that "My friends ask me: 'Are you going here? Are you going here?' I just ignore them, basically". Scott received Bristol City's Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year awards for his performances in the 2022–23 season.

AFC Bournemouth
On 10 August 2023, Scott completed a permanent transfer to AFC Bournemouth, one of his old clubs at youth level, on a long-term deal. Bristol City received a club-record fee for Scott, believed to be around £25 million. He joined Bournemouth despite having sustained a "significant" knee injury prior to leaving Bristol City, which meant Scott did not feature for Bournemouth in the opening months of the 2023–24 season. He made his debut for the Cherries on 21 October 2023, playing 56 minutes in a 2–1 defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers. After playing the full 90 minutes in a 2–1 victory over Burnley, he was substituted in the first half versus Manchester City with an MCL injury.

International career
Scott received his first call-up to the England national under-18 football team side in March 2021. On 29 March 2021, Scott made his debut as a second-half substitute in England's 2–0 win against Wales.

On 2 September 2021, Scott made his debut for the England U19s during a 2–0 victory over Italy U19s at St. George's Park. On 17 June 2022, Scott was included in the England U19 squad for the 2022 UEFA European Under-19 Championship. He came off the bench during the semi-final against Italy to score an equalizer with his first touch of the game. Scott started in the final as England won the tournament with a 3-1 extra time victory over Israel on 1 July 2022.

On 21 September 2022, Scott made his England U20 debut during a 3–0 victory over Chile at the Pinatar Arena. On 10 May 2023, Scott was included in the England squad for the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup and started in three of their four games at the tournament including the round of sixteen defeat against Italy.

On 22 March 2024, Scott made his England U21 debut, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 5–1 away win against Azerbaijan.

Honours
England U19s
 * UEFA European Under-19 Championship: 2022

Individual
 * EFL Championship Young Player of the Season: 2022–23
 * EFL Championship Team of the Season: 2022–23
 * EFL Young Player of the Month: February 2023
 * Rising Star Award CI Sports Awards: 2022
 * Bristol City Player of the Year: 2022–23