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

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

Now aged 22 and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his first call-up to the full Three Lions team.

His ascent from eighth-tier talent to possible international star is a true blast from the past, a journey seldom seen in the modern era.

What’s next? The World Cup?

“In my mind, there was no chance of becoming a professional football player, never mind playing in the top division and representing the national team as well,” the player said in a recent interview.

“It’s been a crazy five or six years of my life, and circumstances have changed completely for me and my loved ones.”

So in what way did Alex Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself at this level?

Learning in non-league

His path in football has been far from a conventional one.

He spent over four years in the Saints’ academy setup from the age of eight, leaving school early each Friday to fly from his island home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could attend training and feature for the club’s academy sides.

Prior to he turned 13, though, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth gave him an option and he remained with them for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind was not in it.

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

“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over every week was starting to feel a bit too much,” he explained.

“All I desired to chill at home with my friends at weekends because I had missed nearly four and a half years of that experience. To have that slice of youth again was something I definitely required.

“Building a bit of confidence by returning and playing local football was huge for me. It was probably one of the most important factors that led me where I am today.”

At the age of 16, the teenager made history as the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a 57th-minute substitute in their league match at the opposition.

“I had trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the team because his talent is obvious,” manager the coach stated back then.

“Everyone’s now seen 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 – owned by islander their owner – had been monitoring his early progress after an promising beginning in adult football and arranged a trial in December 2019.

“The whole experience was chaos,” recalled the player. “Day one I trained with the under-18s, the second day I was with the first team, which was a complete shock.

“Midweek I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, returned home and on the Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a hat-trick. It was almost a certainty for me to sign a contract.”

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

He made 83 league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, often being used as a wing-back – and sometimes in attack as a number 10 – demonstrating his adaptability and versatility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.

Thanks to his ability to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to City and England playmaker Grealish.

At the end 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 voted Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.

“Without question, I think he’ll play for England and I’m sure he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the game,” his former manager, the player’s manager at Ashton Gate, stated previously.

Less than three months later, he signed for Bournemouth for a reported transfer fee of £25m.

Securing his big move

Scott endured a difficult first season with the club, waiting until October to make his top-flight debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then finding himself in and out of the starting XI.

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

“I had a decent run at the end of last season, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” said Scott.

“It was almost another obstacle and it was shaping up as quite a terrible year for the first five months.”

But he was then called up by the national team for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in regain fitness in time.

He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they went on to win the competition in Slovakia, forming a strong understanding in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who himself has excelled for the first team under Thomas Tuchel.

And he has begun the current campaign equally as impressively for Bournemouth, featuring in all matches to guide them to the top five in the standings.

“To play for the national team would be one of the proudest occasions of my career,” Scott stated earlier this season.

“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, getting better every day, and with luck I impress the England manager and earn an opportunity.”