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When Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 spectators in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”

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

Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the playmaker has just received his maiden summons to the full Three Lions squad.

His rise from eighth-tier talent to potential international star is a proper throwback, a story rarely seen in the modern game.

Next stop? The World Cup?

“Back then, there was no chance of making it as a pro footballer, let alone featuring in the top division and playing for England too,” the player said previously.

“It has been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and things have transformed completely for myself and my loved ones.”

But in what way did Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up here?

Learning in the lower tiers

His football journey has not been a conventional one.

He was part of over four years in the Saints’ youth system starting at eight, skipping school each Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could attend training and feature for the club’s academy sides.

Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. The Cherries were willing to offer him an opportunity and he remained with them for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart was not in it.

Instead, he chose to remain on Guernsey and turn out for his hometown club.

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

“All I desired to chill at home with my mates at the weekend because I had missed almost four and a half years of that experience. Getting that slice of childhood back was a thing I really required.

“Building some self-belief by returning and taking part in local football was huge for me. It was probably one of the most important 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 came on as a second-half substitute in their Isthmian League match at Phoenix Sports.

“I had sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the side because he’s that good,” manager the coach stated back then.

“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the manner he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”

Making a comeback to the pro ranks

Championship side Bristol City – chaired by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking Scott’s development after an impressive beginning in adult football and gave him a try-out in late 2019.

“It was hectic,” recalled the player. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the next day I was with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.

“Midweek I featured for Guernsey FC in London, travelled back and on the Friday, I took the field for the youth team and scored a hat-trick. It was almost a done deal for me to sign a contract.”

Within a year and a half, even well before his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut against the Hatters.

He went on to make eighty-three league appearances for the club while in his teens, frequently 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 carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.

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

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

Within 90 days after, he signed for Bournemouth for a reported fee of 25 million pounds.

Securing his major transfer

The midfielder endured a difficult first season with the club, having to wait until the autumn to make his Premier League debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then being in and out of the team.

His following season was equally 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 nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained he.

“It was yet 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 Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in regain fitness for the tournament.

He started five of the England U21s’ six games as they claimed victory in the tournament in the host nation, developing a strong partnership in midfield with his teammate, who himself has gone on to impress for the first team under Thomas Tuchel.

And he has started the current campaign just as strongly for Bournemouth, playing in every game to guide them to the top five in the standings.

“Representing the national team would be one of the proudest moments of my career,” Scott 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 with luck I impress the national coach and get my chance.”