Why it could be a season to remember for Troy Parrott

The hottest name in European football right now is without doubt Troy Parrott.

How Troy Parrott became a national hero

The 23-year-old single-handedly rescued Ireland from a devastating early exit in World Cup qualifying with a pair of colossal performances.

Parrott’s transfer value is expected to hit over €20 million following his international heroics.

When almost all hope had evaporated, the boys in green rose from the ashes to produce one of the greatest comebacks in qualifying history.

Needing two wins in the final Group F games against Portugal and Hungary to secure a play-off berth, Ireland made a mockery of their underdog status in both outings.

Parrott’s incredible run began on November 13 as Ireland pulled off one of the greatest upsets in modern times, opening the scoring after 17 minutes in Dublin with a close range header.

Just shy of the interval it was Parrott 2-0 Portugal, skipping past Ruben Neves and placing one beautifully into the bottom corner beyond the outstretched Diogo Costa.

It marked Ireland’s first competitive win over Portugal in seven attempts stretching back to 1995 and suddenly, the country’s aspirations of qualifying for a first World Cup since 2002 were alive.

Things were starting to fall in place perfectly for Parrott, leading the line in place of usual starting frontman Evan Ferguson who was ruled out with an ankle injury.

He became the third-youngest player to score more than once in a competitive international for Ireland, following David Connolly vs Liechtenstein in May 1997 and Robbie Keane vs Malta in October 1998.

Parrott described the Portugal win as “the best night” of his life, little did he know he’d go one better just three days later in Budapest.

Ireland entered Sunday’s match-up knowing three points was required to finish second in Group F and set up a play-off next March.

It couldn’t have started any worse for the visitors, conceding after three minutes but it wasn’t long before Heimir Hallgrimsson’s side fired back through man of the hour Parrott from the penalty spot.

Barnabas Varga’s wonderstrike saw Hungary head into half-time with a 2-1 lead and from there no one could have predicted what was about to follow.

With ten minutes remaining, Parrott breathed life back into the Emerald Isle with an impressive finish from Finn Azaz’s clever ball in behind the defence.

Dreams became reality with the last kick of the game in the 96th minute when Caoimhin Kelleher’s long ball into the box was met by Liam Scales in the air and quickest to react was Parrott who poked home to seal the win and a magical hat-trick.

Five goals in four days to become a national hero, it’s fair to say Parrott enjoyed one of the greatest international breaks we’ll ever see.

Parrott became the first Irishman to score a hat-trick in a competitive game since Keane in 2014 and the only in history to score one away from home.

Can Parrott lift AZ Alkmaar to Champions League qualification?

Amidst the chaos, Parrott’s incredible club form with AZ Alkmaar has somewhat gone under the radar.

The Irishman began the season in red-hot form, netting ten goals in his first seven appearances before suffering a knee injury that saw him miss the September qualifiers.

Who knows how differently Ireland’s opening games against Hungary and Armenia could’ve been if Parrott was available for selection.

Seven of Parrott’s first ten goals came in four UEFA Conference League qualifiers with the remaining three in as many Eredivisie outings.

It didn’t take long for him to get back amongst the goals after returning, scoring in a 2-0 win over Ajax away from home on October 18.

Eight days later, he bagged another two in a 4-1 home win over Utrecht to take his tally to 13 for the season alongside two assists in just 14 games.

Parrott emerged as a fan favourite at Alkmaar last season, scoring 20 goals and recording five assists as the Cheese Farmers finished fifth in the league and reached the Europa League knockout stage.

AZ need to finish in the Eredivisie’s top two to earn automatic qualification for next season’s Champions League and third place would get them in the third qualifying round of the competition.

Currently sitting in third and four points clear of Ajax in fourth, Alkmaar are on track and there aren’t many better men to lead the charge than Parrott.

Former Tottenham wonderkid Parrott fulfilling sky-high potential

Parrott began his career aged eight with his local Dublin club Belvedere, progressing through the ranks before appearing on the radar of the Premier League’s biggest clubs in 2017.

With Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea all keen on taking Parrott on as a 15-year-old, he ultimately decided to join Spurs.

At 17, Parrott was training alongside Heung-min Son and Harry Kane in Mauricio Pochettino’s first-team but failing to make a real breakthrough to the senior squad.

He continued to impress at youth level, especially in the UEFA Youth League but attempting to dislodge Kane is much easier said than done and Parrott headed out on loan.

Spells in the EFL with Millwall, Ipswich Town, MK Dons and Preston North End were good building blocks. At MK Dons he scored ten goals and added seven assists as the club secured a third-placed play-off finish in League One.

A move to the Netherlands proved key in the end when Spurs loaned Parrott out to Excelsior Rotterdam in August 2023, enjoying a breakout season where he scored 17 goals in 32 games.

That included two hat-tricks in the relegation play-offs which were unfortunately not enough to save the club from dropping down a division.

His valuable experience in Dutch football whet the appetite for another go and last July, Spurs sold Parrott on a permanent transfer to AZ Alkmaar for a £6.7 million fee.

He certainly hasn’t looked back and it’s been nothing short of a heartwarming success story ever since.