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Back when the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”

That statement proved to be a bit of an understatement.

Now 22 years old and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has just received his first call-up to the full Three Lions team.

His ascent from non-league prodigy to potential England player is a true throwback, a story rarely seen in the modern game.

Next stop? The World Cup?

“Back then, there was zero possibility of making it as a professional football player, let alone featuring in the top division and representing England too,” Scott said in a recent interview.

“It has been a crazy five or six years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for me and my loved ones.”

So in what way did Alex Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up here?

Developing in the lower tiers

Scott’s path in football has not been a typical one.

He was part of over four years in the Saints’ youth system from the age of eight, leaving school early every Friday to fly from his island home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could train and play for the club’s academy sides.

Before his 13th birthday, though, they released him. Bournemouth were willing to offer him an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart wasn’t fully committed.

Rather, he chose to remain on the island and play for his hometown club.

“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over weekly was becoming a bit too much,” he recalled.

“I just wanted to relax at my home with my mates at the weekend because I had missed almost four and a half years of doing that. Getting that little bit of childhood back was something I really needed.

“Building some self-belief by returning and playing island football was massive for me. That proved to be probably the most crucial things that got me where I am today.”

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 replacement in their league match at Phoenix Sports.

“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could include him in the team because his talent is obvious,” manager the coach commented at the time.

“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”

Returning to the pro ranks

Second-tier club Bristol City – owned by islander their owner – had been monitoring Scott’s development after an impressive start in men’s football and arranged a try-out in late 2019.

“It was chaos,” recalled the player. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the next day I was with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.

“Midweek I played for his local side in London, travelled back and on the Friday, I took the field for the youth team and scored a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to sign a deal.”

Within a year and a half, still well before his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut against Luton.

He went on to make eighty-three league outings for the Robins while in his teens, frequently being deployed as a wide defender – and sometimes in attack as a number 10 – demonstrating his adaptability and flexibility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was their best player.

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 ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team playmaker Grealish.

At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he won the second tier’s young player of the season award, was selected in the division’s best XI and was voted the club’s top player and top youngster.

“No doubt, I think 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, stated last year.

Within three months after, he joined the Cherries for a reported fee of 25 million pounds.

Getting his major transfer

The midfielder endured a challenging first season with the Cherries, having to wait until October to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then finding himself inconsistent of the starting XI.

His following season was equally affected, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for almost four months.

“There was a decent run at the end of last season, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained Scott.

“It was yet another setback and it was turning out to be quite a terrible year for the first half.”

But he was then called up by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in get himself fit in time.

He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six games as they claimed victory in the competition in Slovakia, developing a formidable understanding in midfield with his teammate, who in turn has gone on to impress for the first team under Thomas Tuchel.

And he has begun the current campaign equally as strongly for his club, featuring in every game to guide them to fifth in the table.

“To play for the national team would be among the most special moments of my career,” the player said earlier this season.

“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to continue developing as a player, maintain my love for football, getting better every day, and with luck I impress the national coach and earn an opportunity.”