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When Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”

This statement proved to be a bit of an underestimation.

Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the playmaker has earned his maiden call-up to the senior England squad.

His rise from non-league prodigy to possible international star is a proper blast from the past, a journey rarely seen in the modern game.

Next stop? The World Cup?

“Back then, there was no chance of becoming a pro footballer, let alone featuring in the Premier League and playing for England too,” the player stated in a recent interview.

“It has been a crazy five or six years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for myself and my family.”

So in what way did Alex Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up here?

Learning in non-league

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

He spent over four years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, leaving school early each Friday to travel by air from his island home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could attend training and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.

Prior to he turned 13, though, they decided to let him go. The Cherries gave him an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, as he later admitted, his heart was not in it.

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

“My form had dipped and flying over every week was starting to feel a bit too much,” he recalled.

“I just wanted to relax at home with my mates at weekends because I missed almost several years of doing that. To have that slice of childhood again was a thing I really required.

“To gain a bit of confidence by returning and taking part in island football was huge for me. That proved to be probably the most crucial things that got me where I am today.”

When he was just 16, the teenager became the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he came on as a second-half substitute in their league fixture at the opposition.

“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the side because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance stated at the time.

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

Returning to the pro ranks

Second-tier club the Robins – owned by islander Steve Lansdown – had been tracking his early progress after an impressive beginning in adult football and gave him a try-out in late 2019.

“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled Scott. “The first day I trained with the youth team, the next day I was with the senior squad, which was a complete shock.

“On the Wednesday I featured for Guernsey FC in the capital, returned home and on the Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a hat-trick. It was almost a done deal for me to sign a deal.”

In just a year and a half, even well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut against Luton.

He went on to make eighty-three league appearances for the club while in his teens, frequently being used as a wide defender – and sometimes in attack as a number 10 – such was his versatility and versatility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.

With his skill to carry the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and England playmaker Grealish.

By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the second tier’s best young player honour, was selected in the league’s best XI and was named Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.

“No doubt, I think he will represent his country and I’m sure he will progress to the pinnacle of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at the club, remarked previously.

Within three months after, he joined the Cherries for a reported fee of £25m.

Getting his big move

Scott experienced a difficult first season with the Cherries, waiting until the autumn to make his top-flight debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then finding himself 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.

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

“That felt like yet another obstacle and it was turning out to be a pretty bad start for the first five months.”

But he was then selected by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to regain fitness for the tournament.

He started five of the Young Lions’ six games as they went on to win the competition in the host nation, developing a strong understanding in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who himself has gone on to impress for the senior side under the national coach.

And he has begun the current campaign equally as impressively for his club, playing in all matches to help them to fifth in the table.

“To play for the England senior team would be among the most special occasions of my life,” Scott said recently.

“It’s down to me, I must continue developing as a footballer, maintain my love for the game, getting better day on day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”