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Back when the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 spectators in 2019, his coach at the time predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”

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 earned his maiden summons to the senior Three Lions team.

His ascent from non-league prodigy to possible England player is a true blast from the past, a story rarely told in the modern game.

Next stop? The World Cup?

“Back then, there was zero possibility of becoming a pro footballer, let alone playing in the Premier League and playing for England too,” the player said in a recent interview.

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

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

Learning in the lower tiers

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

He was part of four and a half years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, skipping school each Friday to fly from his island home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could attend training and feature for the club’s academy sides.

Before his 13th birthday, though, they released him. Bournemouth gave him an opportunity and he remained with them for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart wasn’t fully committed.

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 becoming overwhelming,” he explained.

“I just wanted to chill at home with my friends at the weekend because I missed almost four and a half years of doing that. To have that slice of youth back was something I really needed.

“Building a bit of self-belief by returning and taking part in local football was massive for me. It was probably the most crucial factors that led me where I am today.”

When he was just 16, the teenager became the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a second-half replacement in their league fixture at the opposition.

“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the side because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance stated back then.

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

Returning to the professional game

Championship side the Robins – chaired by islander their owner – had been tracking his early progress after an promising start in men’s football and arranged a try-out in late 2019.

“It was chaos,” said the player. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the second day I was with the senior squad, which was a complete shock.

“On the Wednesday I played for his local side in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a three goals. It was almost a done deal for me to sign a deal.”

In just 18 months, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut versus the Hatters.

Scott went on to make eighty-three league outings for the club while in his teens, frequently being deployed as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his versatility and versatility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was the standout performer.

With his ability to drive the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.

At the end of the 2022-23 season he claimed the second tier’s best young player award, was chosen in the division’s best XI and was voted Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.

“Without question, I believe he will represent England and I’m sure he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s manager at the club, remarked last year.

Less than three months after, he joined the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of 25 million pounds.

Securing his big move

Scott experienced a challenging debut campaign with the club, having to wait until October to make his top-flight debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then being in and out of the team.

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

“I had quite a good run at the end of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” said Scott.

“That felt like yet another setback and it was shaping up as quite a terrible start for the first half.”

But he was then selected by England for the Under-21 European Championships – 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 tournament in Slovakia, developing a strong partnership in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who himself has gone on to impress for the senior side with the national coach.

And he has begun this season equally as impressively 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 career,” the player stated earlier this season.

“It’s down to me, I must continue developing as a player, keep enjoying football, improving day on day, and with luck I impress the national coach and get my chance.”