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Back when the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager at the time predicted, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”

This statement turned out to be a bit of an underestimation.

Now aged 22 and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the midfielder has earned his first summons to the full England squad.

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

What’s next? The World Cup?

“Back then, there was zero possibility of making it as a pro footballer, never mind playing in the Premier League and playing for England too,” the player stated in a recent interview.

“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for me and my loved ones.”

So how did Alex Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself here?

Learning in the lower tiers

His football journey has been far from a typical one.

He was part of over four years in Southampton’s youth system from the age of eight, leaving school early every Friday to fly from his island home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could attend training and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.

Prior to he turned 13, though, they released him. Bournemouth gave Scott an opportunity and he remained with them for a time, but, as he later admitted, his heart was not in it.

Instead, he chose to stay on the island and play for his local team.

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

“All I desired to chill at home with my friends at the weekend because I missed nearly several years of doing that. Getting that slice of youth back was something I definitely needed.

“Building some confidence by returning and playing local football was massive for me. That proved to be probably one of the most important things that led me where I am today.”

At the age of 16, the teenager became the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a second-half substitute in their league match at the opposition.

“I had sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the team because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance stated back then.

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

Returning to the pro ranks

Second-tier club the Robins – owned by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring Scott’s early progress after an impressive start in men’s football and gave him a try-out in late 2019.

“The whole experience was chaos,” recalled Scott. “Day one I joined the youth team, the next day I was with the senior squad, which was a total shock.

“On the Wednesday I played for his local side in London, travelled back and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a hat-trick. It was almost a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”

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

He went on to make 83 league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, frequently being used as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his versatility and versatility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was their best player.

With his ability to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and England attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.

At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he won the second tier’s best young player honour, was chosen 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’ll go on to the top of the game,” his former manager, Scott’s boss at Ashton Gate, remarked last year.

Within 90 days after, he joined the Cherries for a understood transfer fee of 25 million pounds.

Getting his major transfer

Scott endured a difficult first season with the Cherries, having to wait 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 following season was just as disrupted, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for nearly four months.

“I had a decent run at the close of last season, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained Scott.

“That felt like yet another obstacle and the year was turning out to be a pretty bad year for the first half.”

But he was then called up by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in regain fitness in time.

He started five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they went on to win the tournament in the host nation, developing a formidable partnership in the middle with his teammate, who himself has gone on to impress for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.

And he has started this season just as impressively for Bournemouth, featuring in every game to guide them to fifth in the standings.

“To play for the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my life,” the player stated recently.

“It’s down to me, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, getting better day on day, and with luck I catch the eye of the national coach and earn an opportunity.”