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Back when Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut against Phoenix Sports before just 55 spectators in 2019, his coach back then assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”

That prediction turned out to be a bit of an understatement.

Today 22 years old and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the midfielder has earned his maiden call-up to the senior England team.

His rise from eighth-tier talent to potential international star is a true blast from the past, a story seldom told in the modern game.

What’s next? The World Cup?

“Back then, there was no chance of making it as a professional football player, let alone featuring in the top division and representing the national team as well,” Scott said in a recent interview.

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

But how did Alex Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up at this level?

Developing in non-league

His path in football has not been a typical one.

He was part of four and a half years in the Saints’ academy setup from the age of eight, leaving school early each Friday to travel by air from his home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could attend training and play for the club’s academy sides.

Prior to he turned 13, however, they released him. Bournemouth gave him an option and he remained with them for a while, but, as he later admitted, his mind wasn’t fully committed.

Rather, he opted 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.

“All I desired to chill at my home with my friends at the weekend because I had missed almost four and a half years of doing that. To have that slice of youth back was something I definitely required.

“Building a bit of confidence by returning and taking part in island football was huge for me. That proved to be probably the most crucial things that led me where I am today.”

At the age of 16, Scott became the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he was introduced as a 57th-minute replacement in their Isthmian League match at the opposition.

“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the team because he’s that good,” manager Tony Vance commented at the time.

“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the manner he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”

Returning to the pro ranks

Second-tier club Bristol City – owned by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking his early progress after an promising start in men’s football and gave him a try-out in late 2019.

“The whole experience was chaos,” said the player. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the second day I was with the first team, which was a total surprise.

“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, returned home and on the Friday, I played for the youth team and scored a hat-trick. It was almost a done deal for me to sign a contract.”

Within 18 months, even well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut versus Luton.

Scott made 83 league outings for the club while still a teenager, frequently being deployed as a wide defender – and sometimes further forward as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his adaptability and flexibility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was their best player.

With his skill to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to City and national team attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.

By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he claimed the EFL Championship’s best young player award, was selected in the division’s best XI and was named the club’s player and young player of the Year.

“No doubt, I think he’ll play for his country and I think he will progress to the top of the sport,” his former manager, Scott’s boss at the club, stated previously.

Less than 90 days later, he signed for Bournemouth for a understood transfer fee of £25m.

Getting his major transfer

Scott endured a difficult first season with the Cherries, having to wait until the autumn to make his Premier League debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then finding himself inconsistent of the team.

His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for almost four months.

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

“That felt like almost another setback and it was shaping up as quite a terrible start for the first five months.”

But he was then selected by England for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in get himself fit for the tournament.

He started five of the England U21s’ six games as they went on to win the competition in the host nation, forming a formidable partnership in midfield with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the senior side with the national coach.

And he has begun this season equally as impressively for his club, playing in every game to help them to the top five in the table.

“Representing the England senior team would be among the most special moments of my life,” Scott stated recently.

“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, improving day on day, and with luck I catch the eye of the national coach and get my chance.”