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Back when Alex Scott made his local team debut against Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then assured, “there’s more to come from this boy.”

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

Today aged 22 and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the playmaker has earned his first call-up to the senior Three Lions squad.

His ascent from non-league prodigy to potential international star is a true throwback, a story rarely seen in the modern game.

Next stop? The World Cup?

“Back then, there was zero possibility of making it as a professional football player, never mind featuring in the top division and representing England too,” Scott stated previously.

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

So in what way did Alex Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself here?

Developing in non-league

His path in football has been far from a typical one.

He was part of four and a half years in Southampton’s youth system starting at eight, leaving school early each Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could train and feature for the club’s academy sides.

Prior to he turned 13, however, they decided to let him go. The Cherries were willing to offer him an opportunity and he remained with them for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart wasn’t fully committed.

Instead, he opted to remain on the island and turn out for his local team.

“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he explained.

“All I desired to relax at home with my friends at the weekend because I had missed almost several years of doing that. To have that little bit of youth back was something I definitely needed.

“To gain some confidence by returning and taking part in island football was massive for me. That proved to be probably the most crucial factors that got me to this point.”

At the age of 16, Scott made history as the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a second-half replacement in their league fixture at the opposition.

“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could get him in the side because his talent is obvious,” manager Tony Vance stated at the time.

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

Making a comeback to the professional game

Second-tier club Bristol City – chaired by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking Scott’s development after an impressive beginning in men’s football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.

“It was chaos,” said the player. “The first day I trained with the youth team, the second day I was with the first team, which was a total surprise.

“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, travelled back and on the Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a hat-trick. It was almost a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”

In just a year and a half, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut against Luton.

Scott went on to make eighty-three league outings for the club while still a teenager, often being used as a wide defender – and sometimes in attack as a number 10 – demonstrating his versatility and flexibility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was their best player.

With his ability to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to City and national team attacking midfielder Grealish.

By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the EFL Championship’s best young player honour, was selected in the division’s best XI and was voted the club’s top player and top youngster.

“Without question, I think he will represent his country and I think he will progress to the top of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.

Less than three months later, he signed for the Cherries for a understood transfer fee of 25 million pounds.

Getting his big move

The midfielder experienced a challenging debut campaign with the club, waiting until October to earn his Premier League debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then being in and out of the starting XI.

His second campaign was just as 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 nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained he.

“It was almost another obstacle and the year 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 succeeded in get himself fit in time.

He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six games as they went on to win the competition in Slovakia, developing a formidable partnership in the middle with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the senior side with Thomas Tuchel.

And he has started this season equally as impressively for his club, playing in all matches to help them to fifth in the standings.

“Representing the England senior team would be among the most special moments of my career,” Scott said recently.

“It’s down to me, I must keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for football, getting better every day, and hopefully I impress the England manager and earn an opportunity.”