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When Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before just 55 spectators in 2019, his manager at the time predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”

That prediction 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 ascent from eighth-tier talent to potential international star is a true throwback, a journey rarely told in the modern era.

Next stop? A major tournament?

“Back then, there was zero possibility of making it as a professional football player, let alone playing in the Premier League and playing for the national team as well,” the player said previously.

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

But how did Alex Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself here?

Developing in the lower tiers

His football journey has not been a typical one.

He spent four and a half years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, skipping school every Friday to travel by air from his home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could train and play for the club’s academy sides.

Before he turned 13, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth gave Scott an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart wasn’t fully committed.

Rather, he opted to stay on the island and turn out for his hometown club.

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

“All I desired to chill at home with my mates at the weekend because I had missed almost four and a half years of doing that. Getting that little bit of youth again was a thing I definitely required.

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

At the age of 16, the teenager made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he came on as a second-half 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 get him in the side because he’s that good,” manager the coach commented back then.

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

Making a comeback to the pro ranks

Second-tier club the Robins – owned by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring Scott’s early progress after an promising start in adult football and gave him a try-out in late 2019.

“The whole experience was chaos,” recalled the player. “The first day I joined the under-18s, the second day I trained with the first team, which was a complete surprise.

“On the Wednesday I featured for Guernsey FC in London, travelled back and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a three goals. It was almost a done deal for me to sign a contract.”

Within a year and a half, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut versus Luton.

Scott went on to make eighty-three league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, often being deployed as a wing-back – and occasionally in attack as a number 10 – such was his versatility and versatility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was the standout performer.

With his ability to drive the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team attacking midfielder Grealish.

By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he claimed the second tier’s best young player honour, was selected in the league’s team of the year and was named the club’s top player and top youngster.

“Without question, I think he’ll play for England and I think he’ll go on to the top of the game,” his former manager, Scott’s boss at the club, remarked last year.

Within three months after, he signed for the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of 25 million pounds.

Securing his big move

The midfielder experienced a difficult first season with the club, waiting until October to make his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then being in and out of the starting XI.

His second campaign was equally disrupted, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for nearly several 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 Scott.

“That felt like almost another obstacle and the year was shaping up as a pretty bad year for the first five months.”

But he was then called up by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to regain fitness in time.

He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six matches as they claimed victory in the tournament in the host nation, developing a formidable partnership in midfield with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the first team with Thomas Tuchel.

And he has begun this season equally as impressively 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,” Scott stated earlier this season.

“The responsibility is mine, I must continue developing as a footballer, keep enjoying the game, improving every day, and with luck I impress the national coach and get my chance.”