TROY PARROTT’S CURIOSITY continues to allow his career shine gloriously. He has provided another reason for Irish football to dream wildly of the possibilities to come.
His new fans in Seville can also now embrace him immediately, a level of adoration that can only allow him blossom further in Andalusia.
Sprung from the bench in the 68th minute for his home Real Betis debut, the Dubliner pounced on a rebound in the box to score the winning goal against Real Madrid on Friday night.
It’s a moment that will bring as much relief as it will joy. There will be no lingering questions about getting off the mark. Of stepping up another level. The wait to score is over, a weight has been lifted and now he can get on with the really hard stuff as he settles into his new life.
Learning the language, or at least enough in the short term to communicate and understand teammates and staff, is vital. Adapting to the tactical demands of head coach Manuel Pellegrini will also serve to strengthen his hand further.
Hector Bellerin embraces Troy Parrott after his goal. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
Scoring goals, of course, is a currency everyone accepts.
Those Premier League clubs who looked at Parrott’s exploits for the Republic of Ireland and AZ Alkmaar but retained doubts about his ability to step up will begin to take just a little bit more notice now.
Nobody should feel he has wiped away any fears of those who hesitated, but neither should we shy away from the magnitude of this moment, one that can help be the catalyst for so much more this season.
Advertisement
As The 42 detailed after his transfer to Spain was completed last month, in the space of 48 hours Parrott went from heading back to England with West Ham to joining one of the biggest clubs in Spain who are set to embark on a first Champions League campaign in 20 years.
Betis averaged 57,000 fans at their “home” games in La Liga last term and when their own stadium is reopened after redevelopment in October 2027 the capacity will be 60,000, and it is expected to be one of the finest arenas in Europe.
Parrott celebrates his goal. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
Parrott was the La Liga club’s biggest signing this summer after his €20 million arrival from AZ Alkmaar. He started and was then hooked in a 5-2 away defeat to Levante last weekend but rather than sulk at Pellegrini’s decision, he allowed half of Seville to cherish a famous victory instead.
“That’s the striker’s job, you know, to go in after the ball and hope that it will fall in front of me,” Parrott told ESPN after the win.
“Look, in a game I might do this 10 times and it might not happen. It’s a mentality thing to just keep going in there and hopefully it comes. Today it did.
“A crazy, crazy game. The end, really crazy. Amazing. It was a good watch. A great, great night.
“I feel amazing. To play for my first game in this stadium with these amazing fans and to score a goal against a big team is a great night.”
A frustrated Jose Mourinho on the touchline. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
How apt that this milestone for his new club came against the manager who handed him his Premier League debut with Tottenham Hotspur seven years ago.
Jose Mourinho is now in his second spell in charge of Madrid and his reaction hinted at a kind of caustic comeback experience at the Santiago Bernabéu. “I don’t know why we’ve lost. Congratulations to Real Betis who played to draw and hit the jackpot.”
Their luck was in given Madrid had an equaliser disallowed for offside while Kylian Mbappe missed another opportunity to level it up with a penalty kick.
Parrott hadn’t caught up with Mourinho before the match but said “maybe I will see him after”, although both clubs will quickly turn attention to Champions League action.
“We can enjoy the victory today and tomorrow we focus for Tuesday,” he said ahead of their trip to Lille.
“This is a good day. Everyone is happy. It’s important, every victory is important. This league is really, really difficult so to win against anybody is an important thing. Today we have to build and go into Tuesday in with full confidence and go for three points again.
“[I am] very, very happy [at this club]. Very happy. Even happier now.”
The sharp change in focus to Champions League action is another reminder of the extra demands that must be met this season. The jump from Conference League will be swift and significant.
It won’t quite feel like a grind but the extra games will be testing. So far, the Republic of Ireland international has shown he has reached a point in his career where he is meeting these challenges head on.
Scoring the winner against Real Madrid is sweet but delivering on a consistent basis will properly satisfy Parrott’s own expectations.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Close
Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic.
Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy
here
before taking part.
'That's the striker's job... it's a mentality thing': Troy Parrott provides us all with reason to dream
TROY PARROTT’S CURIOSITY continues to allow his career shine gloriously. He has provided another reason for Irish football to dream wildly of the possibilities to come.
His new fans in Seville can also now embrace him immediately, a level of adoration that can only allow him blossom further in Andalusia.
Sprung from the bench in the 68th minute for his home Real Betis debut, the Dubliner pounced on a rebound in the box to score the winning goal against Real Madrid on Friday night.
It’s a moment that will bring as much relief as it will joy. There will be no lingering questions about getting off the mark. Of stepping up another level. The wait to score is over, a weight has been lifted and now he can get on with the really hard stuff as he settles into his new life.
Learning the language, or at least enough in the short term to communicate and understand teammates and staff, is vital. Adapting to the tactical demands of head coach Manuel Pellegrini will also serve to strengthen his hand further.
Scoring goals, of course, is a currency everyone accepts.
Those Premier League clubs who looked at Parrott’s exploits for the Republic of Ireland and AZ Alkmaar but retained doubts about his ability to step up will begin to take just a little bit more notice now.
Nobody should feel he has wiped away any fears of those who hesitated, but neither should we shy away from the magnitude of this moment, one that can help be the catalyst for so much more this season.
As The 42 detailed after his transfer to Spain was completed last month, in the space of 48 hours Parrott went from heading back to England with West Ham to joining one of the biggest clubs in Spain who are set to embark on a first Champions League campaign in 20 years.
Betis averaged 57,000 fans at their “home” games in La Liga last term and when their own stadium is reopened after redevelopment in October 2027 the capacity will be 60,000, and it is expected to be one of the finest arenas in Europe.
Parrott was the La Liga club’s biggest signing this summer after his €20 million arrival from AZ Alkmaar. He started and was then hooked in a 5-2 away defeat to Levante last weekend but rather than sulk at Pellegrini’s decision, he allowed half of Seville to cherish a famous victory instead.
“That’s the striker’s job, you know, to go in after the ball and hope that it will fall in front of me,” Parrott told ESPN after the win.
“Look, in a game I might do this 10 times and it might not happen. It’s a mentality thing to just keep going in there and hopefully it comes. Today it did.
“A crazy, crazy game. The end, really crazy. Amazing. It was a good watch. A great, great night.
“I feel amazing. To play for my first game in this stadium with these amazing fans and to score a goal against a big team is a great night.”
How apt that this milestone for his new club came against the manager who handed him his Premier League debut with Tottenham Hotspur seven years ago.
Jose Mourinho is now in his second spell in charge of Madrid and his reaction hinted at a kind of caustic comeback experience at the Santiago Bernabéu. “I don’t know why we’ve lost. Congratulations to Real Betis who played to draw and hit the jackpot.”
Their luck was in given Madrid had an equaliser disallowed for offside while Kylian Mbappe missed another opportunity to level it up with a penalty kick.
Parrott hadn’t caught up with Mourinho before the match but said “maybe I will see him after”, although both clubs will quickly turn attention to Champions League action.
“We can enjoy the victory today and tomorrow we focus for Tuesday,” he said ahead of their trip to Lille.
“This is a good day. Everyone is happy. It’s important, every victory is important. This league is really, really difficult so to win against anybody is an important thing. Today we have to build and go into Tuesday in with full confidence and go for three points again.
“[I am] very, very happy [at this club]. Very happy. Even happier now.”
The sharp change in focus to Champions League action is another reminder of the extra demands that must be met this season. The jump from Conference League will be swift and significant.
It won’t quite feel like a grind but the extra games will be testing. So far, the Republic of Ireland international has shown he has reached a point in his career where he is meeting these challenges head on.
Scoring the winner against Real Madrid is sweet but delivering on a consistent basis will properly satisfy Parrott’s own expectations.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
La Liga real betis Real Madrid Taking Flight Troy Parrott