Tottenham Fans Want Troy Parrott Back After Hat-Trick Hero’s Stunning Week for Ireland

Troy Parrott and Harry Kane have quite a lot in common.

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

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

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

Just days after he upstaged Cristiano Ronaldo by bagging a brace 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 hauled Ireland level from the penalty spot midway through the first half, only for Barnabas Varga to smash the hosts back in front before the break.

What followed was one of the most gutsy second-half displays Ireland have produced in years.

Parrott’s clever run and delicate finish 10 minutes from time dragged Ireland back into the contest, and deep into stoppage time — with the Puskas Arena braced for a draw that would end Irish hopes — the AZ Alkmaar striker reacted first to Liam Scales’ knockdown to stab home a 96th-minute winner.

The 23-year-old was in tears afterwards, calling it the greatest night of his career.

“I said against Portugal that this is what dreams are made of, but tonight… I’ll never have a better night in my whole life,” Parrott told RTE, visibly emotional.

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

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 it away from home.

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

Parrott has now scored 10 goals in 33 senior international appearances for Ireland.

Troy Parrott’s goals for Ireland

Goal No.	Opponent	Result	Competition	Date
1	Andorra (A)	4-1 win	Friendly	Jun 3, 2021
2	Andorra (A)	4-1 win	Friendly	Jun 3, 2021
3	Lithuania (H)	1-0 win	Friendly	Mar 29, 2022
4	Scotland (H)	3-0 win	Nations League	Jun 11, 2022
5	Hungary (H)	2-1 win	Friendly	Jun 4, 2024
6	Portugal (H)	2-0 win	World Cup Qualifier	Nov 13, 2025
7	Portugal (H)	2-0 win	World Cup Qualifier	Nov 13, 2025
8	Hungary (H)	3-2 win	World Cup Qualifier	Nov 16, 2025
9	Hungary (H)	3-2 win	World Cup Qualifier	Nov 16, 2025
10	Hungary (H)	3-2 win	World Cup Qualifier	Nov 16, 2025

Parrott’s scoring form at club level since moving to the Netherlands is also very impressive.

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

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

Troy Parrott’s club record season by season

Season	Club(s)	Games	Goals
2019/20	Tottenham	4	0
2020/21	Millwall & Ipswich	32	2
2021/22	MK Dons	47	10
2022/23	Preston	34	4
2023/24	Excelsior	32	17
2024/25	AZ Alkmaar	47	20
2025/26	AZ Alkmaar	14	13

Tottenham fans want Troy Parrott back

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

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

Among the thousands of tweets were countless posts from Tottenham fans, many ruing what might have been.

“Watching Troy Parrott tear it up in his career and just thinking how NAIVE the Spurs management were to let him go,” read one message.

Another fan moaned: “Troy Parrott is a prime example of how abysmal Tottenham are when it comes to developing young players. With the exception of Kane, we’ve done nothing 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 3rd best player this club has ever produced and he was sold to make room for DANE F****** SCARLETT”.

However, not all Tottenham supporters were convinced that Parrott’s strong form in the Dutch league coupled with a fabulous hat-trick for Ireland was sufficient evidence that it had been a mistake to let him leave.

Among the more balanced tweets was one that read: “Really happy for Troy Parrott — international football / the Eredivisie isn’t a great indicator of how good or not he’d be in the Premier League though. Not worth losing sleep over from a Spurs perspective.”

A different Tottenham fan added: “Can’t blame Spurs for selling Parrott, he was stinking out League One. Sometimes players need a different setting to grow.”

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

Although a return to north London feels unlikely, Troy Parrott impressing on the world stage should be seen as good news for Tottenham.

That is because the deal that saw Parrott sign for AZ Alkmaar included a 20% sell-on clause. Spurs are set to receive a significant chunk of the money if and when another club buys Parrott from AZ.

There is no suggestion that AZ are looking to sell right now, but there is no question that five international goals in a week will have resulted in a spike in his transfer value.