Opinion & Analysis: Irish football player Troy Parrott is on a journey of mythic proportions, writes storyteller Seán Cuddy.
No one could have missed the incredible results of the Irish national soccer team and particularly the role of the young striker from inner city Dublin, Troy Parrott, in these stunning events.
Ireland needed to win both matches against Portugal (ranked 5th in the world) in Dublin and Hungary (ranked 37th in the world) in Budapest. For context the Republic of Ireland sit at 62nd in the world and had recently lost dismally in Yerevan to Armenia ranked at 104th.
It seemed like an impossible task yet Troy Parrott stepped up and scored two goals in a 2-0 victory over a Portugal side led by Cristiano Ronaldo, and then scored an incredible hat-trick in Hungary to help Ireland overcome Hungary in a 2-3 victory in Budapest, with him scoring the winner in the final minute of injury time to allow Ireland to advance to the play off stages for World Cup 2026, sparking incredible scenes and outpourings of joy among the whole nation.
I was particularly struck by some of his post match comments to RTÉ journalist Tony O'Donoghue. Parrott was asked about the long delay that he had to endure before taking the penalty for his first goal, and how the nerves must have been so difficult to deal with. Many people would have found standing in that position for so long to be the stuff of nightmares. Parrott’s answer gave an incredible insight into the mindset that he has come to possess:
"I’d rather have that pressure on me and whatever will happens will happen, than to put it on somebody else and leave it out of my hands".
As an author and storyteller of mythology, hearing him say this brought my mind to an experience that is marked deep in the human psyche: The Hero’s Journey.
The Hero's Journey is an archetypal story structure that appears in many different cultures in many different ages and is still all around us today. The Knight setting out on a Quest that leads to them slaying The Dragon and bringing back the treasure is an instantly recognisable structure.
He has found himself in unfamiliar surroundings and slayed his demons. He has returned with fire in his eyes and steel in his heart.
In its simplest interpretation it starts with The Hero in comfortable familiar circumstances, who then must leave that safe space and step out into a wider, unfamiliar world fraught with danger. Despite The Hero’s innate qualities, they will often struggle with this challenge. The demands placed on them seem too great. They come up short. They are left in a pace of deep doubt and uncertainty. Yet this is a crucial stage of their development. They must look inward and develop a steel and grit inside themselves that they did not possess before their struggles. This was the missing ingredient. The Hero returns in the Final Act and overcomes their nemesis to save themselves and the world.
Luke Skywalker in Star Wars and Neo in The Matrix are prime examples of this.
So what does this have to do with Troy Parrott?
Parrott has been widely known in soccer circles in Ireland since he was 14 years old.
At the age of 15 he had Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur among others desperate to sign him.
In the end he signed for Tottenham Hotspur and made his debut as a 17 year old under the world renowned manager Jose Mourinho. Everything was going as planned. But then his progress stalled.
I will not speculate on the exact reasons for this. He and those closest to him will know why. Yet these are the facts: He did not break into The Tottenham Hotspur first team consistently. Between 2021 and 2024 was farmed out on loan to lower league teams such as Millwall, Ipswich, MK Dons and Preston. These loan spells yielded just 13 goals in 102 appearances. His career with the Republic of Ireland before the Portugal match had resulted in 31 caps and 5 goals. These were not the statistics of a striker who was hailed in youth circles as being the most gifted attacker that this island has produced in decades.
Doubts formed in people’s minds. Was Parrott just another in a long line of players with potential who never fulfilled it? In a country so desperate for a striker since the retirement of record goalscorer Robbie Keane, Parrott had been given the status of The Man before he had earned it. Adulation before achievement has ruined many an athlete. It will ruin many more in the future as well.
We love The Hero's Journey because this is the story of life itself. We are tested, we fall short, yet we must stand up again. It is painful but we have no choice.
One can imagine Parrott laying alone in bed at night during those loan periods, or after another missed chance playing for Ireland, thinking that this wasn't how things were supposed to be. Yet this is when this young man from Portland Row showed the grit and determination that all heroes must.
He decided to leave England and take the risk of moving to the Netherlands. A country who speak a different language, and possesses a proud footballing culture themselves.
A country where nobody gave a damn about who he was and how good he was supposed to be.
A productive loan spell at a smaller Dutch side called Excelsior lead to one of the best teams in the country, AZ Alkmaar to shell out €8 million for his services. Since his move there in 2024 he has scored 20 goals in 37 matches and has become indispensable in their push to win the Dutch Eredivise title. Already there is talk of bigger European giants circling for his signature.
what he has achieved in both these recent fixtures.'
What we saw against Portugal and Hungary was the beginning of the maturation of the hero into the frightening force that he will ultimately become. The quality of his hat-trick in Budapest were the result of a striker who has been tested and failed, yet has returned for more. Bruised yes, but willing to trade bullets once again. They were goals dripping with intelligence, skill, anticipation and a burning desire to be the main man for his country.
I do not say this lightly, there were few strikers in the world that would have achieved what he has achieved in both these recent fixtures.
I was struck by the scene of Neo in The Matrix when he finally realises that he is 'The One’. Riddled by doubt throughout the entire movie, he raises his hand and stops the bullets that have been fired at him dead in the air and casually waves them to the ground. He then crouches into a fighting stance and decides to stop running from his nemesis and fight him instead.
This was the energy that I observed in Troy Parrot as he ruthlessly dispatched his goals. As he cut through talented defences like a Jedi.
This was a man who had decided to single-handledly drag this country to the World Cup Finals.
The first player in the history of the Republic of Ireland to score a hat-trick away from home.
Parrott had this to say the night after that unforgettable night in Budapest:
"Part of the celebrations last night was that up to this point in my career it hasn’t been so easy. I’ve had to take risks in moving to different places. I’ve failed, got back up. Failed again and then got back up. Who is to say that I’m not going to fail again? I feel the tough road I have had definitely played a part in last night"
Parrott is undertaking the Hero’s Journey.
He was called out into the world, out onto his quest, and the quest slammed him to his knees. It told him that he wasn’t strong enough. That he wasn’t good enough. This is the part that breaks many.
Yet Parrott refused to be broken.
He looked inside and decided to become braver and stronger. He went even further afield.
He has found himself in unfamiliar surroundings and slayed his demons. He has returned with fire in his eyes and steel in his heart.
We love The Hero’s Journey because this is the story of life itself. We are tested, we fall short, yet we must stand up again. It is painful but we have no choice.
At such a young age, Parrott has learned this lesson.
He does not just think he’s talented anymore.
Troy Parrott knows that he is The One.
About The Author: Seán Cuddy writes and performs his own versions of Irish myths and legends. He will perform three live shows this December at Sin É pub in Dublin - find out more here
The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent or reflect the views of RTÉ
