Whatever the future holds for Alex Scott, July 1st 2022 will always be looked back upon as a significant day in his career.
Pictures of Bristol City's star boy kissing the Under-19 European Championship trophy were spreading like wildfire on social media after the midfielder helped the young Lions a 2-1 extra-time victory over Israel in Slovakia.
Proud City supporters from across the country and the thousands tuning in from Guernsey watched on with pride as Scott capped off a remarkable season with his first piece of silverware and a winner's medal worn proudly around his neck.
Tottenham Hotspur fans were flooding onto Twitter to encourage manager Antonio Conte to make his move following ongoing speculation that the Premier League giants are one of the clubs watching Scott's progress with eagle eyes.
Anybody who saw Scott's breakthrough season won't be naive in knowing his future is destined at the very top if he continues his rapid rate of progression. More often than not, players with sky-high potential fail to live up to their billing for one reason or another whether that comes down to the mentality or the pressures that come with big-money moves.
That feeling doesn't resonate with Scott. He already showed maturity beyond his years towards the end of last season when he was put in front of the media, annulling any fears that he would depart this summer despite the increasing interest by declaring his development is best served with another season of regular Championship football under Nigel Pearson.
Scott was just one of three England players featuring in the Euros tournament outside of a Premier League club alongside Peterborough's hugely talented defender Ronnie Edwards and Sheffield United's Daniel Jebbison.
His stock rose throughout the tournament, with reports suggesting there were over 100 scouts in attendance in Slovakia as the Athletic stated representatives from Aston Villa, Leeds and West Ham were all at the final to watch the brightest talent on show.
Any watching from the stands in the semi-final would have witnessed Scott come off the bench against the Italians and score with his first touch as he headed home a corner to help spark a dramatic comeback for Ian Foster's side. He earned his starting spot in the final where England's quality would eventually prevail in extra-time despite Israel's best attempts of an upset.
In five years' time, there is likely to be the inevitable 'Where are they now?' article where the careers of each player will come under the spotlight. Some will continue to collect winners' medals, while others will struggle to reach their full potential and fall by the wayside. There's a fine and unforgiving line in football where young players with all the talent at their feet will suddenly plateau.
Take the England U19 Euro-winning side of 2017, captained by City's Jay Dasilva while coming through the ranks at Chelsea. Only four players from the starting XI have gone on to earn minutes in the Premier League in Aaron Ramsdale, Mason Mount, Ryan Sessegnon and Lukas Nmecha.
Forward Isaac Buckley-Ricketts is currently with Southport, Easah Suliman with Vitória de Guimarães, Darnell Johnson's at Fleetwood while the others have forged careers for themselves in the Championship such as Blackburn's Tayo Edun and QPR's Andre Dozzell.
That's not saying they won't feature in the top flight at some point, but Scott will be looking to be one of those in the minority to follow in the footstep of Mount and play consistently at that level. It's important not to raise expectations at the age of 18 but it's possibly already too late for that.
Scott sat out of City's opening pre-season victory with Cheltenham having triumphed with his country just five days prior. Instead opting to co-commentate on the game for Robins TV where he was pretty clear in his and the club's ambitions by saying: "I want to get promoted. That’s the main aim, to get promotion."
His message is echoed by manager Pearson who wants his side to be challenging for the play-offs by the end of the season. Towards the end of last campaign, he admitted some supporters may feel that target is 'pie in the sky' but after making four new signings this summer and a growing sense of optimism around the place, it doesn't appear as far-fetched as it did two months ago.
Scott's form and performances will be key to that ambition as he looks braced to feature a lot more heavily in centre-midfield now the issue at right wing-back has been ironed out with Kane Wilson's arrival. Although with Joe Williams, Matty James, Han-Noah Massengo (as it stands) and a potential new defensive midfielder on the shopping list, his place in the starting XI is anything but guaranteed.
However, Scott's Euro victory has given him the taste of success and he now knows what it's like to win. That will be an important platform for any accomplishment City aim to achieve this season and for Scott's exciting future.
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