Republic of Ireland hero Troy Parrott talks about his hat-trick against Hungary

When asked if he would celebrate the goal that sent the Republic of Ireland into bouts of joyful celebration with a new tattoo, Troy Parrott replied: “No, I think when we get to the World Cup, I’ll get a tattoo here!”

Ironically, Parrott has a penchant for tattoos, as his stoppage-time goal against Hungary on Sunday is a moment permanently inscribed in Irish football’s cancellation.

Ray Houghton’s goal against Italy in the 1994 World Cup, Robbie Brady’s goal – also against the Azzurri – at Euro 2016 and now Parrott in Budapest in November 2025.

The stuff of legend.

Less than 24 hours after that glorious night, Parrott spoke exclusively to BBC Sport to go some way to explaining the goal that would change his life forever.

“How many times have I watched it again? Probably about 500 times – every time I go to my phone, it’s there,” Parrott explained.

“Even last night when I went to bed, I couldn’t sleep imagining it over and over again.

“In general, I’m not a really emotional person, and this is the first time I’ve cried in years. Look, I could sit here and try to describe it, but it’s the first time I’ve felt something like that.”

“I’ve scored goals before but none as important as my last one against Hungary. As a country we’ve had a lot of disappointing results and haven’t given the fans much to cheer about, so these were tears of joy.”

What happened in the Hungarian capital on Sunday night was the culmination of an unforgettable week for Parrott and the Republic of Ireland.

The 23-year-old’s brace in the 2-0 win over Portugal on Thursday night gave Heimir Hallgrimsson’s side a fighting chance of qualifying for the World Cup through qualifying in March.

But scoring a hat-trick against the Hungarians is something Parrott cannot fathom.

“I think what happened against Portugal and then last night means this has to be written in some way,” he said.

“We are all here for a reason, and we all work hard to be where we are.

“But you can lie in bed and imagine how you want the scenarios to go, and the last week I’ve been through is something you can’t even imagine.

“For all of this to happen perfectly at that time of the game, it has to be scripted. Everything is going perfectly. It’s some good karma for us because as a team and a country we’ve had a lot of bad karma.”

As you can imagine, Parrott has been the toast of Dublin over the past 24 hours.

Social media was filled with clips of frenetic party scenes in Barot’s home country.

Dublin Airport even renamed itself Troy Parrott Airport on its official X account.

“Yes, I saw what happened at Dublin Airport – I like all the things,” said the Alkmaar striker.

“It’s crazy. Maybe I’m biased, but the Irish support us better than anyone else. It’s really special. Beautiful.

“Just to see how happy I made everyone – I was out on the pitch today and the fans are thanking me.

“I love where I come from, and I love being Irish. That’s something I’ll keep for the rest of my life.”

“People say this is the best night they’ve ever had, so being able to contribute to that is something I’ll never forget.

“I know I won’t change, and what’s going on around me might change, but even for me, I don’t think I’ve had enough time to adapt to it. It’s beautiful.”