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Back when Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 spectators in 2019, his manager at the time predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”

That prediction turned out to be something of an understatement.

Now 22 years old and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the playmaker has earned his first call-up to the full England team.

His rise from eighth-tier talent to potential international star is a true throwback, a story seldom seen in the modern era.

Next stop? The World Cup?

“Back then, there was zero possibility of making it as a professional football player, let alone playing in the Premier League and representing the national team as well,” Scott said in a recent interview.

“It has been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have changed completely for me and my family.”

But in what way did Alex Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up at this level?

Developing in non-league

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

He spent over four years in Southampton’s youth system from the age of eight, skipping school every Friday to travel by air from his island home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could attend training and play for the Saints’ youth teams.

Before his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth gave Scott an option and he remained with them for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart wasn’t fully committed.

Instead, he opted to stay on Guernsey and play for his local team.

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

“All I desired to chill at my home with my mates at weekends because I had missed almost several years of doing that. To have that little bit of childhood back was something I definitely required.

“Building a bit of self-belief by returning and taking part in island football was huge for me. It was perhaps one of the most important factors that got me to this point.”

When he was just 16, Scott made history as the youngest player in the club’s records when he was introduced as a 57th-minute replacement in their Isthmian League fixture at Phoenix Sports.

“I had sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could get him in the side because he’s that good,” manager Tony Vance stated at the time.

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

Returning to the pro ranks

Championship side Bristol City – chaired by islander their owner – had been monitoring his development after an promising beginning in adult football and arranged a try-out in late 2019.

“It was chaos,” recalled the player. “The first day I joined the youth team, the second day I was with the first team, which was a total surprise.

“Midweek I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, travelled back and by Friday, I played for the youth team and netted a hat-trick. From that point a done deal for me to sign a deal.”

In just a year and a half, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut against Luton.

Scott made 83 league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, often being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – demonstrating his adaptability and versatility. 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 moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team attacking midfielder Grealish.

By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he claimed the EFL Championship’s best young player honour, was selected in the league’s team of the year and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.

“Without question, I believe he’ll play for his country and I think he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the game,” his former manager, Scott’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked last year.

Within three months after, he joined Bournemouth for a reported fee of 25 million pounds.

Securing his major transfer

The midfielder experienced a challenging debut campaign with the Cherries, having to wait until the autumn to earn his top-flight debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then being in and out of the team.

His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for almost several months.

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

“It was almost another obstacle and it was shaping up as a pretty bad start for the first half.”

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

He started five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they went on to win the competition in the host nation, forming a strong understanding in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who himself has gone on to impress for the first team under the national coach.

And he has started this season just as strongly for his club, playing in all matches to help them to the top five in the table.

“Representing the national team would be one of the proudest occasions of my life,” Scott said earlier this season.

“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, getting better every day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the national coach and earn an opportunity.”