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When Alex Scott made his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 spectators in 2019, his coach at the time predicted, “there’s more to come from this boy.”

That prediction proved to be a bit of an understatement.

Today 22 years old and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his first summons to the full England team.

His ascent from eighth-tier talent to potential England player is a true throwback, a journey seldom seen in the modern game.

What’s next? A major tournament?

“In my mind, there was zero possibility of becoming a pro footballer, let alone playing in the top division and playing for England as well,” Scott said previously.

“It’s been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have transformed drastically for myself and my loved ones.”

But how did Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up at this level?

Developing in non-league

Scott’s path in football has been far from a conventional one.

He spent 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 feature for the club’s academy sides.

Prior to his 13th birthday, though, they released him. The Cherries gave 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 opted to remain on Guernsey and play for his local team.

“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling every week was becoming overwhelming,” he recalled.

“All I desired to relax at my home with my mates at weekends because I had missed nearly four and a half years of doing that. To have that slice of childhood again was something I really needed.

“To gain a bit of confidence by returning and playing island football was huge for me. That proved to be perhaps one of the most important things that led me where I am today.”

When he was just 16, the teenager made history as the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a second-half replacement in their league match at the opposition.

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

“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the way he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”

Returning to the pro ranks

Championship side the Robins – chaired by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring Scott’s development after an promising beginning in men’s football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.

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

“Midweek I featured for Guernsey FC in the capital, travelled back and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a three goals. From that point a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”

In just a year and a half, even well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut against the Hatters.

He went on to make eighty-three league outings for the Robins while still a teenager, often being used as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward 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 drive the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and England playmaker Jack Grealish.

At the end of the 2022-23 season he won the EFL Championship’s young player of the season award, was chosen in the division’s team of the year and was voted Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.

“Without question, I think he’ll play for his country and I’m sure he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s manager at the club, stated previously.

Less than 90 days after, he signed for the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of £25m.

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 injury in the summer, and then finding himself inconsistent of the starting XI.

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

“I had a decent run at the end of last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained he.

“That felt like almost another setback and the year was shaping up as a pretty bad start for the first half.”

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 England U21s’ six matches as they claimed victory in the competition in the host nation, developing a formidable partnership in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has excelled for the senior side with the national coach.

And he has begun this season equally as impressively for his club, playing in all matches to guide them to fifth in the table.

“Representing the England senior team would be one of the proudest occasions of my life,” the player stated earlier this season.

“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for football, improving day on day, and hopefully I impress the England manager and earn an opportunity.”