Tottenham fans want Troy Parrott back after Ireland Hattrick Heroics

Troy Parrott and Harry Kane have a lot in common.

Both joined Tottenham Hotspur through the academy. Both were loaned out at least four times. Both had loan spells at Millwall. Both eventually left Spurs to move abroad.

And now, after an incredible match in Hungary on Sunday evening, both have scored a hat-trick at senior international level.

Troy Parrott’s hat-trick keeps Ireland’s World Cup dreams alive

Just days after beating Cristiano Ronaldo to score a goal in a 2-0 win over Portugal, Troy Parrott delivered again – and somehow produced an even more dramatic performance.

Ireland went to Budapest knowing only a win would keep their World Cup hopes alive, but they suffered the worst possible start when Daniel Lukacs headed Hungary into a fourth-minute lead. Parrott drew Ireland level from the penalty spot midway through the first half, but Barnabas Varga put the hosts back into the lead before half-time.

What followed was one of the bravest second-half displays Ireland has produced in years.

Parrott’s clever run and delicate finish ten minutes from time dragged Ireland back into the match, and deep into stoppage time – as the Puskas Arena braced for a draw that would end Ireland’s hopes – the AZ Alkmaar striker was the first to respond to Liam Scales’ knockdown, slotting in a 96th-minute winner.

The 23-year-old was in tears afterwards and called it the best night of his career.

“I told Portugal this is what dreams are made of, but tonight… I will never have a better night in my entire life,” Parrott said. RTEvisibly emotional.

“It’s a fairytale. You can’t even dream about something like that. I have no words to describe the emotions at the moment.”

Parrott’s hat-trick makes him the first Republic of Ireland player to score three goals in a competitive match since Robbie Keane in 2014 – and the first to ever do so away from home.

It also means Parrott has scored five goals in two games in four days, single-handedly taking Ireland to the play-offs and keeping alive the country’s hopes of reaching their first World Cup since 2002.

Parrott has now scored ten goals in 33 senior international appearances for Ireland.

Troy Parrott’s goals for Ireland

Parrott’s scoring form at club level since his move to the Netherlands has also been very impressive.

He scored 17 times in 32 games for Excelsior during his last loan spell from Spurs, before AZ Alkmaar signed him in July 2024 for around £6.7 million.

Parrott scored 20 goals in all competitions during his first season at AZ and currently has 13 goals in 14 games this season, at a Kane-esque average of 0.93 per game.

Troy Parrott’s club record, season after season

Tottenham fans want Troy Parrott back

Another similarity between Troy Parrott and Harry Kane is that both would be welcomed to Tottenham by a large part of the fanbase.

Parrott’s stunning hat-trick for Ireland saw the 23-year-old trending on social media.

Among the thousands of tweets were numerous messages from Tottenham fans, many of which ruined what could have been.

“Watching Troy Parrott ruin his career and thinking how naive Spurs management were to let him go,” read one message.

Another fan moaned: “Troy Parrott is a prime example of how terrible Tottenham are when it comes to developing young players. With the exception of Kane, we haven’t done anything with the academy this century. It’s killing us when it comes to Europe.”

A slightly more sweary Spurs fan added: “Troy Parrott is the third best player this club has ever produced and he was sold to make way for DANE F****** SCARLETT”.

However, not all Tottenham supporters were convinced that Parrott’s strong form in the Dutch league, combined with a fantastic hat-trick for Ireland, was proof enough that letting him leave had been a mistake.

One of the more balanced tweets was one that read: “Really happy for Troy Parrott – international football / Premier League isn’t a good indicator of how good or not he would be in the Premier League though. From a Spurs perspective, it’s not worth losing any sleep over.”

Another Tottenham fan added: “I can’t blame Spurs for selling Parrott, he reeked of League One. Sometimes players need a different setting to grow.”

Why Troy Parrott shines for AZ and Ireland is good news for Spurs

Although a return to North London seems unlikely, Troy Parrott’s impact on the world stage should be seen as good news for Tottenham.

That’s because the deal in which Parrott signed for AZ Alkmaar contained a 20% sell-on clause. Spurs will receive a significant portion of the money if and when another club buys Parrott from AZ.

There is no indication that AZ are looking to sell at the moment, but there is no doubt that five international goals in a week have caused a spike in his transfer value.