Parrott the latest hero from Dublin's north inner city

The most Googled man in Ireland last night, who was also the subject of many punny headlines in this morning's papers, Troy Parrott, started his footballing life at Belvedere FC.

Belvo is a club synonymous with schoolboy success in the north inner city area of Dublin, something you would have discovered if you searched for the history of the north Dublin wonder who netted twice in Ireland's 2-0 win over Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal at Aviva Stadium on Thursday.

The club was founded in 1971 and over the last 50 or so years has been committed to developing talented Dublin youth that includes the likes of Mark Kennedy, Curtis Fleming and Stephen Kenny.

A new legend can now be added to their walls, website and Wikipedia page.

Parrott's two goals against world No 5-ranked Portugal have revived hopes of a first World Cup since 2002. If Ireland can pull off the unthinkable and secure a play-off spot by beating Hungary on Sunday, his name will be firmly written into Irish football history.

Belvedere FC chairman John Hayden recounted Parrott's journey that started with the club at just eight years old, where he showed his versatility and talent early on.

"He actually joined the club at eight years of age would you believe. He was with Stella Maris for a couple of months and then came down to us. He's played in almost every position," Hayden told RTÉ Radio 1's Today with David McCullagh.

"He actually joined the team a year older than his and when we realised his age we brought him down into the team below where Austin Skelly, Tony Lynch and Darragh O'Reilly were his managers.

"Over the course of a couple of years we noticed how prolific he was when he got up in front of the goal and as the years went on he just he just grew and grew and grew into this machine that you're seeing last night. That's what it became you know. So it was a great last night, it was great to see Troy finally showing what he's capable of."

The Portland Row native stayed with Belvo until he was 17 before joining Spurs. After five loan spells in England and the Netherlands, he is now settled at AZ Alkmaar in the Netherlands.

Despite the multiple moves, Parrott still stayed in touch with his schoolboy club, and Hayden revealed after departing the north Dublin outfit, all of Europe's big hitters were interested in signing him.

"He's had a run of injuries and a few loan spells and he's settled now where he is. He's very happy, he keeps in touch with a few of us in the club and he's really in a good space at the minute.

"He had a pretty meteoric rise after leaving Belvedere. I believe Real Madrid were knocking on the door but he finally decided on Spurs... Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Juventus, Real, everybody showed an interest in him at that time because he was absolutely flying.

"He's worked really hard and he's found a place where he's happy right now and he always had the potential to be a superstar and last night proved it."

The north inner city area of Dublin 1 has produced some of Ireland's finest footballers. Hayden explained that Parrott didn't have to look too far for inspiration.

"Wes Hoolahan was only a few doors down. You had Keith Treacy down at Sheriff Street.

"You had Graham Burke just up in Champions Avenue. You could nearly throw a blanket over the four of them, they were all playing for the club and became senior internationals within the space of a few years of each other.

"So it's brilliant to have a lad from the north of the city doing so well."

Hayden is clearly proud of Parrott's roots and admitted there have been challenges for the club being located in Fairview Park for the last 54 years, but change is on the horizon, although not quite in time for this weekend's orange weather warning.

"We're having to ask parents to sweep the pitches. There's broken bottles, there's syringes, there's loads of different things.

"Last week we got a 99-year lease approved for a site up on the Alfie Byrne Road. We're partnering with East Wall Bessborough to try and get a facility for the club.

"Pitches are cut off too often in this city, in this country because look out the window, look what's out there now. The whole DDSL (Dublin and District Schoolboy League) has shut down for the whole weekend. Grass pitches, you just can't function on them."

Parrott gives back to his old club regularly, "coming down and showing his face" but Hayden also detailed how the financial benefits of sell-on clauses for past players like Parrott and Matt Doherty have been vital for the club's continuity.

"We got a compensation package that we negotiated with Spurs, that would have been a sell-on package.

"We'd have got some money from a sale to AZ. The same with Matt, it's no secret what we got from Matt when he went from Wolves to Spurs, we got €480,000 or thereabouts... that money has carried us and clubs like us need it.

"The likes of Troy have been a godsend to us to keep us going."

It's not all about success on the pitch for Belvo. When the odds are stacked against the young men that come to Fairview Park at eight or nine years of age, Hayden expressed that there are many who won't make headlines like Parrott but are still a point of pride for the club.

"All the lads that I named earlier are north inner city lads. They're the football stories that were successes. There's a lot of stories that come through the clubs that are not football successes but are life successes.

"Troy is a great story but it's not just about the successful footballers, it's about the success in life and if we can give kids a platform to be successful in life and if the football happens, brilliant, but at least we're giving them a platform to be successful in life."

The headteacher of Parrott's other old haunt, O'Connell Secondary School, Liam Newell also emphasised the impact of Parrott's success, with classes even being paused this morning to watch match highlights.

"Teachers are using the moment to inspire students," he said. "Some classes have paused to watch the highlights, maybe even more than once. It's a great atmosphere this morning."

The school claims some of Ireland's most decorated sportsmen as alumni and even as a young man Parrott was motivated to reach the top. Newell revealed that Parrott even wrote a Junior Cert project entitled 'field of dreams'.

Troy's mother Jennifer Parrott was watching on as her son made history in Aviva Stadium on Thursday evening and described to Oliver Callan on RTÉ Radio 1 feeling "overwhelmed".

"I actually thought I was in a dream... my heart was in my mouth. We were full of emotions just crying and jumping around."

Parrott's remarks after being awarded man of the match reflected what his mother described as his "quiet" nature and credits football with keeping him on the straight and narrow.

"I seen him afterwards, he was a bit quiet, he was taking it all in. I gave him a big hug and told him I was so proud.

"He was brilliant as a kid, he was always quiet but he loved football. The area that we are from was a disadvantaged area in the inner city but football kept him disciplined and kept him from getting in trouble.

"This is his dream... this is his time, he was just waiting for this opportunity and he is after getting it and it's brilliant."

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