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When Alex Scott made his local team debut against Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”

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

Today 22 years old and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the playmaker has earned his maiden summons to the senior England squad.

His ascent from eighth-tier talent to possible international star is a proper throwback, a story seldom told in the modern game.

Next stop? The World Cup?

“Back then, there was no chance of becoming a professional football player, never mind playing in the top division and representing the national team too,” the player stated in a recent interview.

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

But how did Alex Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up at this level?

Developing in the lower tiers

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

He was part of over four years in Southampton’s academy setup starting at 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 play for the club’s academy sides.

Before his 13th birthday, though, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth were willing to offer him an option and he remained with them for a time, but, as he later admitted, his heart wasn’t fully committed.

Rather, he opted to stay on Guernsey and play for his hometown club.

“My form had dipped and flying over weekly was becoming a bit too much,” he explained.

“All I desired to chill at my home with my mates at weekends because I missed almost several years of doing that. To have that slice of youth back was a thing I definitely required.

“Building a bit of confidence by coming back and playing local football was massive for me. That proved to be perhaps the most crucial factors that got me to this point.”

At the age of 16, Scott became the youngest player in the club’s records when he was introduced as a 57th-minute substitute in their Isthmian League match at the opposition.

“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the team because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance commented at the time.

“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”

Making a comeback to the professional game

Second-tier club the Robins – chaired by Guernsey resident their owner – had been monitoring Scott’s early progress after an impressive start in adult football and gave him a trial in late 2019.

“It was chaos,” recalled Scott. “The first day 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 London, travelled back and on the Friday, I played for the youth team and scored a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to sign a deal.”

Within a year and a half, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut versus the Hatters.

Scott made eighty-three league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, frequently being deployed as a wing-back – and sometimes further forward as a number 10 – such was his versatility and flexibility. Despite his youth 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 picked up the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and national team playmaker Grealish.

By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he claimed the second tier’s best young player honour, was selected in the division’s best XI and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.

“No doubt, I believe he will represent England and I think he will progress to the top of the sport,” his former manager, Scott’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked last year.

Within three months after, he signed for Bournemouth for a understood transfer fee of 25 million pounds.

Getting his major transfer

Scott endured a difficult first season with the club, having to wait until October to make his top-flight debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then finding himself in and out of the starting XI.

His following season was equally disrupted, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for nearly several months.

“I had quite a good run at the close of last season, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” said Scott.

“It was yet another obstacle and it was turning out to be a pretty bad year for the first five months.”

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

He started five of the England U21s’ six games as they claimed victory in the competition in Slovakia, developing a strong understanding in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has gone on to impress for the first team under Thomas Tuchel.

And he has begun the current campaign equally as strongly for his club, featuring in every game to help them to the top five in the table.

“Representing the national team would be among the most special moments of my life,” the player said recently.

“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for the game, improving every day, and with luck I impress the national coach and earn an opportunity.”