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Back when Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “there’s more to come from this boy.”

This statement turned out to be something of an underestimation.

Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has just received his maiden call-up to the senior England squad.

His rise from eighth-tier talent to potential England player is a proper blast from the past, a journey rarely seen in the modern era.

Next stop? The World Cup?

“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a professional football player, let alone featuring in the top division and representing England too,” the player 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.”

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

Learning in non-league

Scott’s football journey has been far from a typical one.

He was part of four and a half years in the Saints’ youth system starting at eight, skipping school each Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could attend training and play for the Saints’ youth teams.

Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth were willing to offer Scott an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart was not in it.

Rather, he chose to remain on Guernsey and turn out for his local team.

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

“I just wanted to relax at my home with my friends at weekends because I had missed almost several years of doing that. Getting that slice of youth back was something I really needed.

“Building a bit of confidence by returning and playing island football was huge for me. That proved to be probably one of the most important factors that got me where I am today.”

When he was just 16, the teenager made history as the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a second-half substitute in their league match at the opposition.

“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could get him in the team because he’s that good,” manager the coach stated back then.

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

Making a comeback to the pro ranks

Championship side the Robins – owned by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking his early progress after an impressive beginning in men’s football and arranged a try-out in December 2019.

“The whole experience was hectic,” said Scott. “Day one I joined the youth team, the next day I was with the first team, which was a complete shock.

“On the Wednesday I featured for Guernsey FC in London, travelled back and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a hat-trick. From that point a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”

Within 18 months, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut against Luton.

He made eighty-three league appearances for the club while still a teenager, often being deployed as a wing-back – and occasionally in attack as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his adaptability and versatility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.

With his ability to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.

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

“Without question, I believe he’ll play for his country and I think he will progress to the top of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated last year.

Less than 90 days later, he joined Bournemouth for a reported transfer fee of 25 million pounds.

Securing his major transfer

The midfielder endured a challenging debut campaign with the club, waiting until the autumn to make his Premier League debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then finding himself in and out of the team.

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

“I had quite a good run at the close of last season, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” said he.

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

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

He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six matches as they claimed victory in the tournament in Slovakia, developing a strong partnership in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who himself has excelled for the first team with the national coach.

And he has begun the current campaign equally as impressively for Bournemouth, playing in every game to help them to the top five in the table.

“To play for the England senior team would be among the most special moments of my life,” the player said recently.

“It’s down to me, I must continue developing as a player, keep enjoying the game, improving every day, and with luck I catch the eye of the national coach and earn an opportunity.”