“In front of the press box, the Béticos jumped out of their seats. They hadn’t seen centre-forward play like it in an eternity. They bellowed in delight.”
14:08, 06 Sep 2026
Troy Parrott celebrates.(Image: (Photo by Maciej Rogowski/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images))
THE BURGER vans parked on a dusty plot of land outside La Cartuja were still doing a brisk trade in €2 cans of Cruzcampo, Seville’s famous brew, two hours after the final whistle.
Past midnight, the searing heat of the day had barely subsided and the mercury was still north of 30 degrees. An ice cold refreshment was just the thing.
Ice cold, just like the man at the centre of conversation among the scores of stragglers who didn’t want this famous night to end.
Troy Parrott’s late winner against Real Madrid had Real Betis fans in dreamland and they knocked back their beers and toasted not only the Ireland international’s instinctive 81st minute goal, but the physicality he showed before that stick-a-pin-in-it moment.
Up to then, the loudest roar of the night had greeted a challenge between Parrott and Real Madrid’s 6’4” centre-half Ibrahima Konate.
Konate thought he had the ball under control just inside the Betis half, but the Irishman had other ideas.
He muscled his way into possession, and didn’t give it up despite the France star grabbing two big handfuls of his green and white jersey.
Parrott didn’t flinch. He didn’t stumble. He found a teammate, turned and raced into the Madrid half, leaving Konate looking like he was just 4’6”.
In front of the press box, the Béticos jumped out of their seats. They hadn’t seen centre-forward play like it in an eternity. They bellowed in delight.
Troy Parrott, in that show of strength and determination, embodied the Bético spirit.
Cucho Hernandez, currently Parrott’s only real competition for a spot in Manuel Pellegrini’s 11, is a technically gifted footballer.
But I noted his contributions during his time on the pitch on Friday night – and Betis were a different team once Parrott arrived for the final 22 minutes plus stoppage time.
The ball bounced off the Colombian in his first involvement. Later, he was easily held off by Marc Cucurella as they chased the ball down the touchline. Cucurella happily let it bounce out of play for a Madrid throw, as Cucho flailled, like a toddler trying to break free from a parent’s grip.
He fired wide of goal after a fine tee-up by Antony and didn’t win an aerial duel all night.
Then came Parrott. Suddenly the ball stuck. Battles were won. And so was the game.
Betis historian Alfonso Del Castillo explained in a chat with me on Saturday afternoon in one of Seville’s wonderful tapas bars that Parrott’s physicality would have made him a hero before any winner against the hated Real Madrid.
“The fans here love a strong forward and we haven’t had one in a long time,” he said.
We’ll hear more from Alfonso later in the week on his tireless work bringing the legend of Real Betis’s Irish La Liga-winning manager Patrick O’Connell back to life.
As for Parrott, this has been a long time coming. How sweet it must be that Friday’s landmark moment in his career came against Jose Mourinho.
If the fact that Mourinho gave him his Premier League debut as a 17-year-old in 2019 wasn’t widely known among Betis fans before Friday’s game, it was a leading topic of conversation afterwards.
Mourinho’s faith in Parrott waned soon after he handed the then-teenager the matchball after his Premier League bow against Burnley.
What followed were a series of struggles on loan in the Championship and League One, before Parrott took a leap of faith and moved to the Netherlands.
There, the potential that marked him out as a teenage prodigy began to be fulfilled.
The only question now, after his three impressive performances so far at Real Betis is, just how good can he be?
The locals in Seville are convinced he is the real deal. Spain’s football journalists, in Saturday morning’s papers, were busy throwing flowers at the Dubliner and his old-school centre-forward style.
And the feeling is mutual. Parrott has landed on his feet with this move, setting up camp in one of the most beautiful cities on the planet.
Speaking late on Friday night to the couple of Irish journalists that went to cover his home debut, he said: “Living in Spain in a beautiful city like Seville, beautiful weather and a beautiful club as well, the first two weeks have started really well.
“It’s a great next step for me. There’s not much more I can ask for at this stage in my career to come away here to a massive club like Spain and play in the Champions League.
“Even in games like tonight, it’s something that’s going to further my development and help me to keep getting better. I think that’s what it’s all about at this stage.”
Next up is tomorrow night’s long-awaited return to the Champions League and a trip to face French side Lille.
Parrott was already thinking about that as the enormity of Friday’s goal was still sinking in.
It’s another chance to show that he is in the early days of his ascent, this time on the biggest stage in the club game.
“It’s important to allow yourself to get high when the moments are this high,” he said.
“Football is funny because you can score a goal like that and then you have a game again in three days and you have to switch and focus on the next game because it’s also the first Champions League game for the club.
“It’s been 20 years or so, so it’s very important.
“Look, I’ll have tonight to enjoy. I’ll have some family members and friends to enjoy with them. Tomorrow it’s back to focusing again.”
The stragglers by the burger vans-cum-mobile bars on that dusty plot next to La Cartuja would raise a toast to that.