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Back when Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “there’s more to come from this boy.”

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

Today aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the midfielder has earned his first call-up to the senior England team.

His rise from non-league prodigy to possible international star is a proper throwback, a journey seldom seen in the modern era.

Next stop? The World Cup?

“In my mind, there was zero possibility of making it as a pro footballer, let alone featuring in the Premier League and playing for the national team as well,” the player said previously.

“It’s been a crazy five or six years of my life, and things have changed drastically for myself and my loved ones.”

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

Learning in non-league

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

He was part of over four years in the Saints’ youth system from the age of eight, leaving school early each Friday to fly from his island home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could attend training and play for the club’s academy sides.

Before he turned 13, though, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth gave Scott an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, as he later admitted, his mind wasn’t fully committed.

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

“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.

“I just wanted to chill at home with my friends at the weekend because I had missed almost several years of that experience. To have that slice of childhood again was something I definitely needed.

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

When he was just 16, Scott made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a second-half replacement 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 stated back then.

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

Making a comeback to the professional game

Second-tier club Bristol City – owned by islander Steve Lansdown – had been tracking his development after an promising start in men’s football and arranged a trial in December 2019.

“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled the player. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the second day I was with the senior squad, which was a total surprise.

“Midweek I featured for Guernsey FC in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I played for the youth team and netted a three goals. It was almost a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”

Within 18 months, still well before his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut versus the Hatters.

Scott made 83 league outings for the club while still a teenager, frequently being deployed as a wing-back – and occasionally in attack as a number 10 – demonstrating his adaptability and flexibility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was the standout performer.

Thanks to his ability to carry the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and England attacking midfielder Grealish.

At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he won the EFL Championship’s best young player honour, was chosen in the league’s best XI and was voted Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.

“No doubt, I believe he’ll play for his country and I think he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated last year.

Less than 90 days after, he joined Bournemouth for a reported fee of £25m.

Getting his major transfer

Scott endured a difficult first season with the Cherries, having to wait until October to earn his top-flight debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then finding himself in and out of the team.

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

“I had quite a good run at the end of last season, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained he.

“It was yet another setback and it was turning out to be quite a terrible year for the first five months.”

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 England U21s’ six matches as they claimed victory in the competition in the host nation, forming a formidable understanding in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has excelled for the first team with the national coach.

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

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

“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a footballer, maintain my love for the game, getting better day on day, and with luck I catch the eye of the national coach and get my chance.”