Republic of Ireland hero Troy Parrott has been prolific since leaving Tottenham Hotspur last summer
Former Tottenham Hotspur prodigy Troy Parrott made waves with his performances for the Republic of Ireland, playing a pivotal role in keeping their World Cup dreams alive. The 23-year-old striker had an unforgettable few days, scoring five goals in two games for his country.
He scored twice to earn an unexpected home win over Portugal ahead of the team's final qualifier against Hungary. In Budapest, Parrott scored Ireland's winner and completed his hat-trick in the 96th minute to secure a thrilling 3-2 victory and book Ireland's spot in the play-offs.
Since leaving Spurs in 2024, Parrott has truly come into his own. He was touted as a promising talent during his time at Tottenham, but Parrott only made four first team appearances and was loaned out five times.
His final loan stint as a Spurs player was with Dutch outfit Excelsior, where his impressive performances caught the eye of AZ Alkmaar. The young forward was sold for £6.7million, with former manager Ange Postecoglou later revealing that competition for places, including the subsequent signing of Dominic Solanke, hindered his chances of breaking into the first team.
However, Parrott wasn't away from Spurs for long. Tottenham met AZ in the Europa League group stage before facing off again in the round of 16, on their way to lifting the trophy.
"It is good to see Troy doing well, I think he had a great loan spell in the Dutch League last year," Postecoglou said ahead of the group game between the two sides. "He is looking like he started his AZ career in positive fashion too so it is great.
"In terms of getting a chance, sometimes in football it is just about timing. We have a striker here mate who was at Chelsea and Liverpool early in his career and he has done alright since. There is a pathway forward for everybody."
Parrott has flourished since making his permanent switch to AZ. He netted 20 times across all competitions last term and has been even sharper this campaign, bagging 13 goals in just 14 appearances.
Tottenham will be delighted to witness their former youngster excelling, particularly as the club could still benefit financially from the striker's next transfer. football.london reports that Spurs secured a 20 per cent sell-on clause when Parrott joined AZ.
However, Tottenham did not negotiate a buyback option as part of Parrott's transfer. The Ireland international is likely to attract attention from several clubs in upcoming transfer windows, given his impressive performances for club and country.
Meanwhile, Parrott will be keen to maintain his red-hot form as he returns to AZ. The ex-Spurs forward was visibly emotional when asked about his feelings following his hat-trick for Ireland.
"I'm really, really emotional. They're tears of joy. Ah, what a night, what a night," Parrott told RTE. "This is why we love football, because things like this can happen. Look, I love where I'm from, so this means the world to me. My family is here.
"It's the first time I've cried in years as well, I really, really can't believe it. Everyone is crying. I said against Portugal that this is what dreams are made of, but this tonight, I don't think I'll ever have a better night in my whole life.
"That is really a fairy tale. You can't even dream about something like that. Honestly, I have no words to describe my emotions right now."