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When Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”

This prediction turned out to be a bit of an underestimation.

Now 22 years old and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the midfielder has just received his first call-up to the senior Three Lions squad.

His ascent from eighth-tier talent to possible international star is a proper blast from the past, a story seldom told in the modern era.

Next stop? The World Cup?

“Back then, there was no chance of making it as a professional football player, never mind playing in the top division and playing for England as well,” Scott said previously.

“It has been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have transformed drastically for myself and my loved ones.”

But how did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself here?

Developing in non-league

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

He was part of over four years in Southampton’s academy setup starting at eight, skipping school every Friday to fly from his island home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could attend training and play for the club’s academy sides.

Before his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. The Cherries 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 the island and turn out for his local team.

“My form had dipped and flying over weekly was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.

“I just wanted to relax at my home with my friends at weekends because I had missed almost four and a half years of that experience. To have that little bit of youth again was something I really required.

“Building some confidence by coming back and taking part in island football was huge for me. That proved to be perhaps the most crucial factors that led me where I am today.”

When he was just 16, Scott became the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he came on as a 57th-minute replacement in their Isthmian League fixture at the opposition.

“I had trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the team because he’s that good,” manager the coach commented back then.

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

Making a comeback to the professional game

Championship side Bristol City – owned by islander their owner – had been monitoring his development after an impressive start in adult football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.

“It was hectic,” said the player. “The first day I joined the youth team, the next day I trained with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.

“On the Wednesday I played for his local side in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I played for the youth team and netted a hat-trick. It was almost a certainty for me to sign a contract.”

Within 18 months, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut against the Hatters.

He made eighty-three league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, frequently being used as a wide defender – and occasionally in attack as a number 10 – such was his versatility and flexibility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was the standout performer.

Thanks to his ability to carry the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to City and national team attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.

At the end of the 2022-23 season he claimed the second tier’s young player of the season award, was selected in the league’s best XI and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.

“No doubt, I think he’ll play for his country and I think he will progress to the pinnacle of the game,” his former manager, Scott’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.

Within 90 days later, he joined Bournemouth for a reported fee of £25m.

Getting his major transfer

The midfielder experienced a challenging debut campaign with the Cherries, waiting until October to earn his Premier League debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then finding himself inconsistent of the starting XI.

His second campaign was just as disrupted, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for nearly four months.

“There was quite a good run at the end of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said he.

“That felt like yet another setback and the year was turning out to be quite a terrible start for the first five months.”

But he was then selected by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to get himself fit for the tournament.

He started five of the Young Lions’ six games as they claimed victory in the tournament in Slovakia, developing a formidable partnership in midfield with his teammate, who himself has gone on to impress for the first team under Thomas Tuchel.

And he has started the current campaign equally as strongly for his club, playing in all matches to help them to fifth in the standings.

“To play for the national team would be one of the proudest occasions of my career,” the player said recently.

“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a footballer, maintain my love for football, getting better every day, and hopefully I impress the national coach and earn an opportunity.”